For the first time in its 26 years of existence, a subtle crisis is brewing at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) over promotion of some Directors, an exercise said to have violated due process.

Findings by New Telegraph revealed that some aggrieved staff of the agency had petitioned the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who doubles as Chairman, National Council on Privatization (NCP), urging him to intervene in order to save a situation that is festering and creating an atmosphere of rancour at the privatization agency.

In the petition addressed to the Vice President, dated April 29, 2026, a copy sighted by this medium, the aggrieved directors queried recent appointment by NCP.

It said the appointment did not only violate due process of the extant public service rules and circulars by the Head of Service of the Federation (Section 020802, it also violates BPE staff manual (Section 6) and other relevant Federal Government circulars regarding promotion. It ruled that there was no moral justification for such a decision.

They averred that while some Deputy Directors remain stagnant in their positions for over a decade without being promoted, even when they were due for promotion, those recently promoted again benefitted ahead of their senior colleagues who have been stagnant for decades.

The promotion of the duo was ratified by the National Council on Privatization (NCP) at its meeting held on Thursday, April 23, 2025 and chaired by the Vice President. Contracted on the phone Wednesday, Mallam Shaibu Abdullahi, BPE Deputy Director, Strategic Communication & Stakeholders Engagement told New Telegraph that “there were criteria used which you might know as an outsider.

There was an appraisal conducted and the two persons you referred to were not unduly favored. I’m about to board a flight to Lagos now when I return I will want us to sit and discuss this in detail”.

Part of the petition addressed to VP notes: “We respectfully invite you to kindly note that at its meeting held on Thursday, 23rd of April 2025, the NCP considered and approved the appointment of two Directors for the BPE. “Your Excellency is invited to note that the promoted directors were promoted to Deputy Directors on January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2024 respectfully.

Before them were nine Deputy Directors, who have been in that position for over eleven years . Some were promoted in 2010 while some were promoted in 2015, yet some were promoted in 2019 (as indicated on the attached list).”