A former staff member of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dr. Femi Ogunshola, has called on the agency’s Managing Director, Ali M. Ali, to investigate allegations of unfair recruitment practices and alleged sexual harassment contained in an open letter made public on Sunday.
In the letter, Ogunshola alleged that a female employee, Miss Ogunola Folashade Adunni, was unfairly placed on Grade Level 5 Step 2 during a recent recruitment exercise despite holding a university degree in Accounting and having served the agency for several years as a National Youth Service Corps member and later as a casual employee.
According to Ogunshola, other casual workers with similar backgrounds were reportedly employed on higher grade levels, raising concerns about the fairness of the recruitment process.
He further alleged that the employee had been subjected to repeated unwanted personal advances by an official linked to the recruitment exercise and claimed that her refusal to reciprocate may have influenced decisions affecting her employment.
Ogunshola stressed that the allegations have not been established but argued that they are serious enough to warrant an independent investigation.
The former NAN staff member said he had attempted to resolve the matter through internal channels, including repeated efforts to contact the Managing Director.
He also disclosed that he forwarded details of the matter to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, whom he said acknowledged receipt of the information.
He expressed dissatisfaction with explanations allegedly given by a senior management official, who reportedly attributed the employee’s placement to “destiny” and suggested that she could be upgraded in the future.
Ogunshola argued that employment decisions in a federal public institution should be based on merit, qualifications and established public service guidelines rather than discretionary considerations.
He also claimed that efforts by senior editorial officials to have the employee’s placement reviewed were unsuccessful.
The former NAN employee urged the Managing Director to order a transparent investigation into the allegations, warning that failure to address the issues could undermine confidence in the agency’s integrity and reputation.
He maintained that his intervention was motivated by concern for the institution’s credibility and not at the request of the employee involved.
As of the time of filing this report, the News Agency of Nigeria and the officials mentioned in the letter had not publicly responded to the allegations.
