I didn’t assume Acting Registrar General position before promotion- Azinge

By Miriam Humbe

The Acting Registrar- General of the Cooperate Affairs Commissioning (CAC) Lady Azuka Azinge has said that she did not take over the leadership of the CAC before she was formally promoted to the position of the Acting Registrer General.
Lady Azuka Azinge took over the helms of affairs of the Commission as Acting Registrar-General on October 9, 2017 upon the expiration of the tenure of the former Registrar-General Mr. Bello Mahmud.
Contrary to insinuations, the current acting RG, Azuka Azinge, had taken over the affairs of the CAC as the most senior Director in the commission on October 9, 2017.
Lady Azinge explained when she briefed newsmen in Abuja on her two years of stewardship as Acting Registrar General of the CAC that it was upon the strength of a letter No T/FAL/233119/S/302117 dated 28th September, 2017 issued by FMITI and signed by O. Ogenyi (Ag. Permanent Secretary for the Honourable Minister, that she was appointed as Acting Registrar-General with effect from 9th October, 2017.
She said the post of Acting Registrar-General qualifies her as an Officer of the Commission within the meaning of Rule 6. 06 of the Commission’s Conditions of Service to earn acting allowance if she acts at a higher position for 30 or more days.
According to her, it was based on the belief that the Acting RG as an officer of the Commission that the Board on the 8th & 9th February, 2019 considered and approved payment of acting allowance to her.
She said the board upgraded her status from overseeing Director to that of Acting Registrar-General as erroneously reported in the press as her letter of appointment was explicit and crystal clear on the status of her appointment as Acting Registrar-General.
On the issue of Acting Head of Public Affairs Department, the Acting RG explained that Mr. Moses Adaguusu, a Deputy Director and a Legal Practitioner of 30 years standing at the Bar was redeployed to the Public Affairs Department in July, 2014 by the former RG.
She said since he was Senior Editor of the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports (NWLR), Nigerian Banking Law Reports (NBLR), Nigerian Company Law Reports (NCLR), Bar and Bench Publishers, and several reputable Law Reports, he could add value to the work of that Department.
“He being the most senior officer when the Acting Head of the Public Affairs Department Mr. Godfrey Ike retired from service in May, 2019 became Acting Head of Public Affairs.
“His position is as a result of seniority and merit. There is no statutory provision in the Criminal Code, Penal Code or Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Act itself which criminalizes such succession based on seniority.
“This allegation and the publication is also a subtle attempt to determine which Staff should be posted to which Department without due regard to merit, competence and seniority,” she said.