By Charles Okogene
Less than 24 hours to go and unless, President Muhammandu Buhari, makes a last minute U-turn and decides to re-appoint Tar Ukoh as the Director General of National Troupe, his tenure as the overall boss of the agency comes to an end on Wednesday March 31 2021.
Ukoh was appointed the DG of the agency four years ago and his tenure has been marred with accusation and counter accusation by the agency’s labour leaders. Some of the accusation that is in form of petition bothers on maladministration and financial misappropriation.
As the time ticks for Ukoh, some of agency’s staff who spoke to this platform over the weekend has this to say,
” Ordinarily I will not talk about the man but for the damage he has done to the national troupe, I will say something. His tenure expires on March 31st 2020 wednesday. I cannot wait for that day to come. Staff and the union say they can’t wait for him to handover and leave. Let him go back to Ethiopia where he said he was making millions before Buhari asked the late Abba Kyari to invite him to come and serve his motherland. Instead of serving, he destroyed national troupe,” the staff who refused his name on print said. “The union has also written the Minister to remind him of the end of Tar Ukoh’s tenure and to direct him to handover to the most senior director who should take charge by March 31st since his tenure ends on March 30. Also, staff appealed to the Minister to look in wards this time for a replacement of Tar Ukoh as the Troupe has competent staff who can return the Troupe to its lost glory.”
UKoh’s case is similar to that of immediate past Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors’ Board, Mr. Adedayo Thomas, who was denied a second term based on the allegation of misappropriation levelled against him by the staff of the Board. A similar allegation was contained in a petition sent to the president against Ukoh by a group. As it stands now, UKoh’s tenure has ended.
