The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has debunked allegations of a breach of civil service rules in the forthcoming promotion examinations at the council.
The allegations have been described as “egregious and blatant misinformation and a poor understanding of how promotion examinations are conducted in the civil service.”
The statement signed by Lawal Shehu Dalhat, the Director (Policy and Strategy) at the Nigerian Export Promotion Council Headquarters noted that “one person, ED/CEO or not, cannot unilaterally promote staff.”
The Director emphasized that “it was important to provide clarification regarding the exercise scheduled to take place from July 9 to 11, 2025 because there is nothing to hide” before describing the allegations leveled against the council and its ED/CEO as a “shocking and unkind miscarriage of justice.”
According to the statement “Mrs. Ayeni has been accused and convicted of an offence which, according to the publication of July 2 2025, she is planning to commit seven days after she has been found guilty.”
The rest of the statement which went ahead to provide a comprehensive explanation of the process of conducting promotion examinations in the civil service and the success of previous exercises is reproduced in some detail below:
To put things in context, last year, 74 members of staff of the Council sat for promotion examinations from 3-4 April, 2024 which ran all day up until past midnight. 49 passed and were promoted. It was adjudged free, fair and without irregularities and bias. The success of that exercise which was not disputed by one single member of staff or management was a clear demonstration of Mrs. Ayeni’s attention to detail, strict adherence to extant civil service rules and her long experience as a past Head of Human Resources at Zenith Bank Plc, a fact many people at the council were not even aware of.
Before a promotion examination is held, the Council will write to the Head of Service (HoS) to request approval of its manpower budget where the available vacancies for promotion are considered and approved by the Head of Service of the Federation. PThe request must be accompanied with justification showing that members of staff have met the statutory requirement to seat for the promotion exercise which include serving on a grade level for the requisite three (3/4) years before they can sit for promotion, among other things.
If the HoS sees merit in the application, the approval will be granted and once that approval is granted the ED/CEO will then convene a Senior Staff Committee meeting that considers the approval, comes up with the date, disciplinary and administrative issues modalities and format for the interview and examination. At this point, the date and list of approved candidates will be communicated via a circular.
Now, the senior staff committee is made up of the ED/CEO, senior officers of the council (Directors) as well as representatives of the HoS, the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment (our supervising ministry) and the Federal Civil Service Commission.
With this composition is it impossible for the ED/CEO to “handpick” or unilaterally decide who gets to sit for the promotion examinations because the meetings are held in strict adherence to civil service rules.
The Senior Staff Committee meeting for the forthcoming promotion examinations was held on 24/06/2025 and the circular with reference number ADM/CONF/SM/I/VOL.12/121 was subsequently communicated to the entire staff on 26/06/2025 in accordance with the civil service rules along with a list of 102 eligible candidates.
As at the time of writing, not a single complaint has been received so it is perplexing to read reports of discontent within the council.”
The statement went ahead to refer to civil service rules regarding promotions for staff without degrees or with HND certificates: “A holder of a Higher National Diploma (HND) and a professional certificate (ICAN, ANAN, or COREN), without a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) and a Master’s Degree or a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field from a recognized university, cannot be promoted to the Directorate level in the Public Service as stipulated in the extant scheme of service.”
For further clarity, a subsequent circular dated 7th November 2022, with reference No. HCSF/SPSO/ODD/E&WP/64976/52, emphasized: “For the avoidance of doubt, all HND holders terminate on SGL 14 in the Public Service, whether with or without professional qualifications.”
