The federal Staff Loans Board has come under serious scrutiny over the alleged imperial manner the current Executive Secretary, Hajia Hannatu Fika runs the prime Federal Loans Institution. The Executive Secretary whom sources say has been enjoying unparalleled government patronage is believed to have converted the Loans Board into what they call “personal fiefdom”!
Sources who spoke to our reporters say that Hajia Hannatu has become “untouchable” travelling and spending weeks overseas under various guises thus allowing hundreds –if not thousands of civil servants –to go without their loans reprieve. “People wait on the queue to get their loans approved and even then are never paid for sometimes 2-5 years”, bemoaned one Chike Okafor. “ I and my wife applied for our statutorily allowed stipends to own our own houses; But as I speak to you now, it is 3 years today and nothing”.
Haji Fika who our sources say ought to have retired decades ago has repeatedly had her appointment renewed by government. “Infact, the mystery is, we don’t know how she does it; but she has proved so powerful, we thought she would have used her privilege to help civil servants”, Mr Okafor stated.
Our attempt to speak to her proved abortive as several times we visited, she was said to have travelled abroad. As a matter of fact, an anonymous staff revealed that she hardly spends two weeks at a stretch in Nigeria. “You see her today, the next day she is gone!”
The anonymous staff disclosed that even Developers are not left out in the poor treatment meted out; they suffer the same fate. Many of them with subscribers are left in the cold while a select few-her favourites get paid every now and then”.
Another staff who also prefers to remain anonymous expressed sadness saying “she is the authority here. Many civil servants regret her oppressive style”. Further investigation revealed that her fellow colleagues who retired 18 years ago are envying her record government patronage. “We thought she would have utilised this advantage positively”, they lamented; but now according to them, she has tuned the revered Institution into a boiling pot for civil servants.
“Her third term tenure ends next October, and we want to see if government will extend it as they usually do”, said Mr Okafor. The truth however is: no one dares confront her-even her employers!
