By Laide Akinboade
For 66 workers of the   Nigerian Communications Commission, joy came their way penultimate week when they were all promoted to next grade level having been successful in the promotion exercise conducted by the orgainisation.

Out of the 73 that sat for the exercise, 66 were successful; and of this number were a number of people who had sat on the same grade level for over a decade.

Mr. Mohammed Lawal Ibrahim is one of the lucky candidates. Having stayed on the same level for over eleven years his time eventually came when he sat for the recent exercise and became successful.

Never one to betray so much emotion, Ibrahim who joined the NCC over fifteen years ago and works for the Administration Department of the Commission told Vanguard his story.

“The promotion came and took me higher as Principal Manager, level 14 from level 13. I was on level 13 for eleven years. I always tell people that patience is a virtue. If your time has not come, you can never get there.”
Another member of staff, Mr. Enang Spiff who was promoted to Assistant Director, Licensing and Zonal Operations after seven and half years as principal manager until March this year, told Vanguard of the nature of the exercise which he remarked was flawless.

He was also very excited about his promotion having been a long time on one position. He commended the organisers of the exercise and noted that their promise not to pile up backlog again would make the staff happy.
When contacted, Head, Human Resources of  the NCC, Hajiya Maryam Bayi, confided in Vanguard that a number of factors are weighed before an NCC staff can be promoted.

The recent exercise was based on performance. There were a number of performance indicators including assessment by heads and superiors and  written and oral interviews that eventually followed.
In her words:

“The criteria for promotion in NCC are based on performance management. We look at your appraisal for the years you have spent and the period within which you are due for promotion and then recommendation from your respective superiors, your Head of Department and Head of Unit and then if the vacancy exists for you to go to the next level, as well as the budgetary provision, if there is budget providing for that position you are going to be upgraded to.”

She also told Vanguard that apart from the normal promotional exercise, the NCC by way of properly utilizing the human resource base it has built up, carried out an internal vacancy advertisement whereby the people working at the organization are given the opportunity to apply for vacant positions.

“If you feel that you have those qualifications they are asking for in terms of the knowledge, the skills and experience, you can apply,” she added.
Explaining the need for such exercise, Bayi said it was to give opportunity for all those who are not properly placed and who are stagnated on the same position to now apply for these positions.

“About 76 people applied. But only about 46 were short-listed, based on meeting the requirements while 26 of them were successful at the end of the exercise which from all indications was a novel development at the Commission.”

Mrs. Bayi promised that the NCC will continue to carry out activities that will benefit its workers and motivate them to give hundred per cent commitment to their daily responsibilities.