Yola DisCo officials resign over alleged victimisation, corruption

From Umar Dankano,Yola

No fewer than twelve senior key officials of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) have resigned their appointments with the company over alleged intimidation, victimization and corruption by the management.
Investigation by peoples Daily in Yola revealed that, the Federal government privatised the firm to Quest Electricity Nigeria Limited in 2013 with formal hand over in 2022.
It was gathered that at the beginning, things have been working well until when some forces at the main stream were said to be uncomfortable with the former Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Umar Hashidu, then things started falling apart in the organization.
Also, documents privy to this reporter indicated that the twelve (12) key officers considered to be best hands of company resigned in protest including ; Head of regulatory and compliance, Head of Administration, Head of billing department,Head of Revenue Collection, Head of AMI, and Chief commercial officer of the film.
Others are; Principal Manager, Corporate Communications, Regional Manager in charge of Borno, Business Managers of Jimeta and Yelwa business units,MYTO, Technical expert as well as former MD,Hashidu.
Most of the affected officials lamented that the present Management under the leadership of Acting Managing Director/CEO. Abubakar Yahaya are operating out the operational procedures and guiding principles rather victimizing their imaginary disloyal workers in the company.
One of the resigned officials who spoke under condition of anonymity said workers are being intimidated and harass with sack (termination) threat at any slight opportunity.
He accused the management of not having any condition of service thus, slamming bias judgements on employees citing example of a case involving the internal control officer as a reference point.
“YEDC doesn’t have condition of service thought they claimed to have it but has never shared it to employees.
“The Management team of YEDC have been verbally insulting employees and have severally been intimidating, disgracing and harassing employees in public.
“Employees are in constant intimidation and threat for termination whenever one,report case of stealing or corrupt excesses by their errands or stooges among us”, the source decried.
Furthermore, some affected persons in their exit interviews advanced the rationale behind quitting YEDC to be lack of compliance with the Labour Act and inhumane treatment by those in the managerial ladder noting that if nothing is done to address the situation many more will be going sooner or later.
However, several visits and calls by this reporter to the YEDC’s corporate zonal office in Yola to speak to the Managing Director, Abubakar Yahaya were not fruitful as the private security guards at the main gate of the office always says “he is not around” while his mobile phone number is also switched off.
But the YEDC’s head, Corporate Communications, Olubenga Adebola once answered a call put to him claiming to be Damaturu’ s office with a promise to call back which he didn’t but only sent an SMS message, saying “Let me call you back please”, which he didn’t follow up to at the time of filling in this report.