I have just had a personal experience which I want to share here, now.

I'm an IT proffesional. I used to work in the operations division of the Cross River State Watre Board Limited, employed by the private-partner operator of that agency called Ortech Nigeria limited as the Information Systems Administrator.  Way back in 2006, I realized that the pay I was getting was 200% lower than what was incidental to my office as contained in the contract papers between my organization (Ortech) and the Cross River State government.  I accosted my employers and requested for a commensurate review.   My investigations also showed that so many other shaddy deals were going on within the organization. 

Ortech is a 'so-called' foreign company but with very little physical presence in any location, except a one-room office space in VI, Lagos.  My curiosity lead to a lot more personal investigations which yielded tremendous surprises.   The organization got wind of my efforts to find things out and decided to dispense with my services.  I left, determined to fight on.  The matter was taken up by my lawyers.  Several negotiations were held in Calabar and the company offered to pay some 'chiken' change to me, to enable me get off their back.  I refused.  The dialogue ended in a deadlock, after some persons attempted to offer gratification to my attorneys.   We then proceeded to report the matter to the EFCC in September, 2007.  Surprisingly, the petition, the evidence and all the matters connected therewith vanished from the EFCC.   All efforts to locate this has proved abortive.  My investigations within the EFCC system revealed much to my surprise that some of the operatives in that organization are richer than oil-industry workers.  They have fleet of cars and live life in the fast lane.   I have run out of options.  I have proceeded to report the matter to the World Bank (the financiers of the Water Board Operations) but felt, I may get better suggestions from NLders.  What do u guys think?

Your story is so contradictory. are you looking for solution to your ordeal or you are looking on how lucrative the operatives of the EFCC are living?

What has what they drive got to do with your case? Dude you should have taken the settlement and go on with your life, to me you sound like a disgruntle employee. You should remember in Nigerian we have no laws protecting whistle blowers.

Mama, thanks. I was looking for ideas, I guess I had one. Must we follow the same path coz no laws protect whistle blowers? How can we change the system if everyone has d same mindset? If the EFCC is not up to its responsibility, can't someone hold them to account? And, if everyone gets settled, for how long shall we be in the same rocking chair called Nigeria? Once more, thanks for the input. I guess you are first, a typical Nigerian. But, I can never be settled! No price can buy my conscience!

Is EFCC ever corruupt?

Are you saying your company should pay you exactly what they charge clients?
No, it does not work that way
Didnt you negotiate your salary initially?

My candid opinion?
I think you are over rating yourself and thats probably why the company called your bluff.

And for the EFCC?
I think they have better things doing than carrying your personal baggage
Go to the police if you have a case

I have to agree with Oldie.
Sweetie there are bigger fishes to fry.

Not to rain on u.

Accountants get paid way less than their companies get paid from the contracts they have with their clients. For example Ernst & Young charges some clients $500.00 per hourbut pay their employees $35.00 per hour. But they pay quite weell. That's how businesses run.
You don't get the paid the same amount as the company.
If u do, then u won't have a bldg to work from or lights in ur bldg.
A lot goes into running a business.

U just sound disgruntled because u saw a high number and compared it to urs. What u should do is compare ur salary to other IT's in other corporations, if u feel cheated, leave the company for another one.

To me ur just making excuses

stale gist

This is Nigeria bro where almost everything is possible.if you dont take your time,you might end up not getting a dime.if its not too late,you better go for their offer and back off for good.Also,i hope this people are not deadly cos if they are,they might even harm you.Be wise Nothing is too small

celemel:

I have just had a personal experience which I want to share here, now.

I'm an IT proffesional. I used to work in the operations division of the Cross River State Watre Board Limited, employed by the private-partner operator of that agency called Ortech Nigeria limited as the Information Systems Administrator.  Way back in 2006, I realized that the pay I was getting was 200% lower than what was incidental to my office as contained in the contract papers between my organization (Ortech) and the Cross River State government.  I accosted my employers and requested for a commensurate review.   My investigations also showed that so many other shaddy deals were going on within the organization.  

Ortech is a 'so-called' foreign company but with very little physical presence in any location, except a one-room office space in VI, Lagos.  My curiosity lead to a lot more personal investigations which yielded tremendous surprises.   The organization got wind of my efforts to find things out and decided to dispense with my services.  I left, determined to fight on.  The matter was taken up by my lawyers.  Several negotiations were held in Calabar and the company offered to pay some 'chiken' change to me, to enable me get off their back.  I refused.  The dialogue ended in a deadlock, after some persons attempted to offer gratification to my attorneys.   We then proceeded to report the matter to the EFCC in September, 2007.  Surprisingly, the petition, the evidence and all the matters connected therewith vanished from the EFCC.   All efforts to locate this has proved abortive.  My investigations within the EFCC system revealed much to my surprise that some of the operatives in that organization are richer than oil-industry workers.  They have fleet of cars and live life in the fast lane.   I have run out of options.  I have proceeded to report the matter to the World Bank (the financiers of the Water Board Operations) but felt, I may get better suggestions from NLders.  What do u guys think?

I actually think that if you believe you have a case, you need to pursue it to the end. I have never really put my faith in the EFCC from the start cause I can not for the life of me figure out why the group has yet to level charges against people like Obasanjo and the many people who continually roam the streets of Nigeria with our money dropping from every orifice. I do believe that if you can, you may actually open the door for other people who find themselves in the same situation as you do. I do not completely understand your case but I do believe that any move to make sure the books are in good condition is not a waste at all. If you can afford to push this far, please do. There are many people out there in Nigeria who are being short changed by the very employers who promised them a good package to get them through the door. The Employee-Employer relationship in Nigeria is one place that needs government intervention of some sort to encure that companies, as they make their millions consider the lives and welfare of their employers and I say go for it dude.

You can not say people are corrupt because you see them driving very expensive cars. Our problems is that Nigerian government don't pay our forces the right dues that is why we see been rich as been corrupt.

If the Nigerian Police and other forces are been paid the exact amount they deserve you won't be seeing them begging for money by the road side.

Those guys  you saw are paid good money that is why you see them leaving large. And the scope is working because they have what they want and it will be dificult to convince them by bribery.

If you want to solve the problem you don't have to put somebody who is not part of it @ fault.

Mamajama:

Your story is so contradictory. are you looking for solution to your ordeal or you are looking on how lucrative the operatives of the EFCC are living?

What has what they drive got to do with your case? Dude you should have taken the settlement and go on with your life, to me you sound like a disgruntle employee. You should remember in Nigerian we have no laws protecting whistle blowers.

so u think he shld take the settlement and go? what a senseless suggestion. After all the disgrace we al going through because of our corrupt ways, u still think he shld keep quiet? i guess u don't have a clue how we r treated abroad even if we have a good business idea. People don't want to touch us even at the bank we are put thru loads of checks before we can open a bleeding bank account. What about loan for business? don't even ask.  I think you are one of the losers who think things shld be the way they are "typical" Nigerian stuff.

oldie:

Are you saying your company should pay you exactly what they charge clients?
No, it does not work that way
Didnt you negotiate your salary initially?

My candid opinion?
I think you are over rating yourself and thats probably why the company called your bluff.

And for the EFCC?
I think they have better things doing than carrying your personal baggage
Go to the police if you have a case

I agree with u, he can't expected to be paid what his company is charging the client. But that is not the issue. the fact is wether these people are doing something doggy or not?. If he feels is worth more than that he has the right to ask for more.
I think the purpose of EFCC is to investigate all corrupt cases. so what better things do they have to do than investigate a compnay if its cheating the state government.

Maybe, I need to shed more light on this. 
There is existing a public-private partnership aggreement to manage jointly, the Operations Division of the Water Board by my former employers and the Water Board.  The private partner (Ortech) provides KEY critical staff in the partnership who are paid from the commonwealth.  Then, members of the partnership (Ortech and Waterboard) would share the profit accrueing from the sales of water at an aggreed percentage, after deduction of cost of business.  All cost incurred in the course of executing the partnership are submitted at the end of the month by the two partners to the Partnership Committee for vetting and reimbursement from the commonwealth. Now does one partner have the right to submit and claim stuff like air fares, hotel accomodation, staff development and training, medical, etc when no such facilities are enjoyed by any staff, and they actually get paid?

How on earth would one white man (stylishly called expertraite) with a maximum qualification of Primary School Certificate and Certificate in Welding obtained after 2 weeks of training in a UK auto-shop be employed to work in Nigeria as Manager and be paid the USD equivalent of N4 million a month, is paid exactly the same, lives in a free house, is entitled to 4 flights back and forth any part of the world per annum (he actually gets this) while the qualified Nigerian Engineer on an invoiced salary of N800,000 per month, takes home N110,000 physically?

What, if a National Diploma Certificate holder is employed to occupy the slot of a graduate engineer, is made to work and function in that capacity, is paid salary as a Diploma technician while the invoice reads ENGINEER with with 20 times the value he is paid?

What if your company supplies Pentium II used computers to the organization in your state in place of NEW Pentium 4 systems, issues invoices to the partnership as if they were new, and gets paid amounts that are completely far from the possible cost of such systems?  And the systems are never used for a day because they were not good in the first place? What if you discover that invoices are forged, staff signatures are forged with the intention to drain money from the system and repatraite same abroad?

What if your organization that is directly working with a state government agency deducts tax from staff salaries but does not pay same to the government? They had to go settle a backlog of one years' arears in one day, after this writer had started taking them to task and demanding for his tax particulars? What if the expertraites do not pay any form of tax to the government even as they repartraite huge monies in hard currency back to their home-country? What if a fictitious hotel accomodation is invoiced monthly in respect of each expartraite staff who also has N1 million accomodation lump sum invoiced in his name?

Everyone,
The reason for making the 'disgruntled' noises is not for the heck of it.  The invoices that are sent by these guys are added to an already huge internal debt owed by the state govt to them. Now, the project itself is funded by a World Bank loan facility.  Loans are loans, and must be repaid no matter how long it takes.  And, if international development partners give loan to Africa, and their brothers come back here, siphon the money and walk away, how and who will repay the loan?  These are issues that prick my conscience.  As I said in the initial post, am an IT person, meaning that it was very easy to get on with my life.  But, all the parties involved in the fraud sorrounding that project are in my opinion, culpable.  I started the fight from within before I was laid off.  I shall continue the little struggle.  I am only looking for alternative ways and ideas from NLanders.

On the EFCC:
The matter was reported. An operative actually visited to make initial contacts. He was convinced that there is massive fraud within the system.  An agent (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) was appointed by the accused 'stakeholders'  to liaise with him and find the best way to 'settle' the matter.  They met in Calabar twice. Met in Abuja many times too.  The matter had a life of its own. We were following. Suddenly, a lull set in. The files vanished. The agent was not picking calls again. Stalemate!

Who has a clue?

celemel:

Maybe, I need to throw more light on this. There is existing a public-private partnership aggreement to manage jointly, the Operations Division of the Water Board by my former employers and the Water Board. The private partner (Ortech) provides KEY critical staff in the partnership who are paid from the commonwealth. Then, members of the partnership (Ortech and Waterboard) would share the profit accrueing from the sales of water at an aggreed percentage, after deduction of cost of business. All cost incurred in the course of executing the partnership are submitted at the end of the month by the two partners to the Partnership Committee for vetting and reimbursement from the commonwealth. Now does one partner have the right to submit and claim stuff like air fares, hotel accomodation, staff development and training, medical, etc when no such facilities are enjoyed by any staff, and they actually get paid?

How on earth would one white man (stylishly called expertraite) with a maximum qualification of Primary School Certificate and Certificate in Welding obtained after 2 weeks of training in a UK auto-shop be employed to work in Nigeria as Manager and be paid the USD equivalent of N4 million a month, is paid exactly the same, lives in a free house, is entitled to 4 flights back and forth any part of the world per annum (he actually gets this) while the qualified Nigerian Engineer on an invoiced salary of N800,000 per month, takes home N110,000 physically?

What, if a National Diploma Certificate holder is employed to occupy the slot of a graduate engineer, is made to work and function in that capacity, is paid salary as a Diploma technician while the invoice reads ENGINEER with with 20 times the value he is paid?

What if your company supplies Pentium II used computers to the organization in your state in place of NEW Pentium 4 systems, issues invoices to the partnership as if they were new, and gets paid amounts that are completely far from the possible cost of such systems? And the systems are never used for a day because they were not good in the first place? What if you discover that invoices are forged, staff signatures are forged with the intention to drain money from the system and repatraite same abroad?

Everyone,
The reason for making the 'disgruntled' noises is not for the heck of it. The invoices that are sent by these guys are added to an already huge internal debt owed by the state govt to them. Now, the project itself is funded by a World Bank loan facility. Loans are loans, and must be repaid no matter how long it takes. And, if international development partners give loan to Africa, and their brothers come back here, siphon the money and walk away, how and who will repay the loan? These are issue that prick my conscience. As I said in the initial post, am an IT person, meaning that it was very easy to get on with my life. But, all the parties involved in the fraud sorrounding that project are in my opinion, culpable. I started the fight from within before I was laid off. I shall continue the little struggle. I am only looking for alternative ways and ideas from NLanders.

On the EFCC:
The matter was reported. An operative actually visited to make initial contacts. He was convinced that there is massive fraud within the system. An agent (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) was appointed by the accused 'stakeholders' to liaise with him and find the best way to 'settle' the matter. They met in Calabar twice. Met in Abuja many times too. The matter had a life of its own. We were following. Suddenly, a lull set in. The files vanished. The agent was not picking calls again. Stalemate!

Who has a clue?

SPEAK OUT. Continue to SPEAK for all to hear you LOUD AND CLEAR. Better Still. make sure the Media gets a hold of your story. Provide them with documents to support your side of the story. Post those documents online and challenge those whom you can to do something or risk being labeled criminals and cohorts.

Please, it is my prayer that the letters[b] EFCC [/b] never appear anywhere on Nairaland in the new year to come.  Please relegate the non-entity to the annals of nonsensical history where it should belong.  It has no relevance in any productive discussions now or in the future!

Thank you!

Dey r whites rite? Do it like we do it wer i com frm, KIDNAP SOMBORY!!!!!!

If u cant do it alone, den jst call me and i'l arrange tins!!!!

NO TIME!!!

I am not here to scare you my brov, but this is truly risky business, they've got loads of money to fight, settle and even hire arsenals. If this was a country were people get justice for injustice, I would have asked you to forge ahead eyes closed, but it is known that even with everyone been aware that baba was a loader himself, non of such is in the records of our very hardworking EFCC, this is not the first time files get missing, even the law court have full records of people like Ibori mixed-up.

My brother if you can find the likes of Falana, Festus Keyamo and the likes and only if they are willing to sincerely do justice to your plight (mission - make things right) then go ahead, if not, please don't waste your time and hard earn money on what you know will not work if you don't have the right resources and support from the right quarters, all this philanthropic lawyers also have a way of making there monies, so its not all about saint pursuing the devil but God having a way of scattering the joint forces of the so called assumed "powerful" ---- (Baba and Atiku)

God's speed.

:-x

Celemel.

I feel you and your pain. The thing is that they are not the only ones reaping the system off. The so called expat must have been advised by some people that that is how the system works. Making such information public tend to discourage the perpetrator even if the government or the system is messed up. There are ways to go public and Nairaland is a step in the right direction, we shall overcome.

an organisation that has no watchdog is bound to be corrupt, knowingly or unknowingly. You embezzle public funds, its confirmed then you will negotiate how much you refund, why are armed robbers killed when caught or found guilty? they should have the same priveledges.

"""""How on earth would one white man (stylishly called expertraite) with a maximum qualification of Primary School Certificate and Certificate in Welding obtained after 2 weeks of training in a UK auto-shop be employed to work in Nigeria as Manager and be paid the USD equivalent of N4 million a month, is paid exactly the same, lives in a free house, is entitled to 4 flights back and forth any part of the world per annum (he actually gets this) while the qualified Nigerian Engineer on an invoiced salary of N800,000 per month, takes home N110,000 physically?"""""

My brother who made this statement,  One funny thing I discovered over here, is that Oyigbo no dey look at certificate,  IF you like you get PHD,  If one high school or what they call secondary school grad have more experience in that company,  they pay him more than you,  If they want to employ you,  they only ask you what do you know,  they are more interest what you can offer their company and how relevant you experince is to their business,  If you do not have it,  They would  not employ you,  they would employ that man that did not go to school but have that experience,    So for Oyiboland,  degree no mean shit,  it is the skill you bring on the table that matter,  Most Nigerian over here pocket their PHD for their house,  The more the degree the less you get a job and end up a Taxi driver,  except if you become a university prof or university that would  take you. if you don't,  Taxi driver you would become. Too many people too in the university system. you have Phd holder teaching secondary school over here,   Look take for example NEPA,  I have to be honest with you,  Nigeria based Engineers can not fix the problem, if they could have they would have done so a long time ago,   Since me I get here , my brother na,  i have learnt alot,  that i would never know in my life time in Nigeria,  Nigeria engineer most of the times do not have the skills that even people lower than them have,  No company want you,  when you have nothing to offer them ,,  than calculus and laplace thoery,  What good is it in the real world.

Come if Nigeria company pay oyigbo 4 million,, I dey here, me too be oyigbo now,  if they can pay me, with trip 4 times,  I dey here,  I even get the degree with certificate and skill. i know how to fix nepa, na calculation dem go take fix nepa, only those abroad knows it, oyibo man no teach us everything finish.

You should seek proper professional advise. Then your greatest weapon is comming out public with every fact you have that can dent them before the dent you; write to every media house, your story is bound to attract a lots of sentiments and with the level of awareness now in Nigeria, you are bound to have a lot of people behind you.

The bottom line is: make sure you have a case, and don't let your grudge becloud your reasoning. Give your case a direction.

@celemel,

First, you pushed for increased package and it failed.

Now, you are making it sound as if the fight is for what you call fraud in the company.

Now, what would you have done if they increased your package the first time you asked?

Would you still be pushing what you are pushing now?

What a company charges on your head is certainly not what you will get.

It is only when your employer promises to pay you NXXX.00 and yet every month you don't get up to that amount that you will have a case.

On merit your case is at best selfish.

Good luck anyway.

nigeriaone:

My brother who made this statement,  One funny thing I discovered over here, is that Oyigbo no dey look at certificate,  IF you like you get PHD,  If one high school or what they call secondary school grad have more experience in that company,  they pay him more than you,  If they want to employ you,  they only ask you what do you know,  they are more interest what you can offer their company and how relevant you experince is to their business,  If you do not have it,  They would  not employ you,  they would employ that man that did not go to school but have that experience,    So for Oyiboland,  degree no mean shit,  it is the skill you bring on the table that matter,  Most Nigerian over here pocket their PHD for their house,  The more the degree the less you get a job and end up a Taxi driver,  except if you become a university prof or university that would  take you. if you don't,  Taxi driver you would become. Too many people too in the university system. you have Phd holder teaching secondary school over here,   Look take for example NEPA,  I have to be honest with you,  Nigeria based Engineers can not fix the problem, if they could have they would have done so a long time ago,   Since me I get here , my brother na,  i have learnt alot,  that i would never know in my life time in Nigeria,  Nigeria engineer most of the times do not have the skills that even people lower than them have,  No company want you,  when you have nothing to offer them ,,  than calculus and laplace thoery,  What good is it in the real world.

Come if Nigeria company pay oyigbo 4 million,, I dey here, me too be oyigbo now,  if they can pay me, with trip 4 times,  I dey here,  I even get the degree with certificate and skill. i know how to fix nepa, na calculation them go take fix nepa, only those abroad knows it, oyibo man no teach us everything finish.

Thats a satisfied expartriate labourer for life. Good for you and I wish you luck!

But you all get everything muddled up
One, you do not seem to understand what an engineer does
There is a difference between an artisan and an engineer
An engineer does the same thing all over the world
There are damn good engineers in Nigeria who are employable
anywhere in the world

Secondly solving NEPA problems goes beyond "your newly discovered solutions"
NEPA problem is more systemic than any other thing else

And lastly you need education to do whatever you do, anywhere in the world, unless you want to remain a yessir man all your life!

This guy has a valid grouse with his company,let him pursue it.He has done some other investigations and reported the case to the right authorities,it is up to them to pursue the case and if they don't then the petitioner has a right to ask "why not?"

The EFCC is as corrupt as any organisation in Nigeria.But they are by far better than the police.They are at least catching some corrupt people.Let's pray they get better.

I have a personal experience with EFCC. My conclusion about them is that they do their work diligently without compromise at first. They investigate and know exact true. No guess work. They always tried to avoid court if the case is between two parties with no crime intent like in my case. At no time bribe was mentioned but there was a[i]ppreciation [/i] though at the end.

Midolo:

The EFCC has done a good job so far and should be commended.

What job have they done apart from being entangled in a political war.As we can all see,they are the main weapon for bigger D**KS.

Klemente:

What job have they done apart from being entangled in a political war.As we can all see,they are the main weapon for bigger D**KS.

They have done a wonderful job. Prosecuting "corrupt" political office holders is not the only thing the EFCC does.

Viva EFCC!

oldie:

Thats a satisfied expartriate labourer for life. Good for you and I wish you luck!

But you all get everything muddled up
One, you do not seem to understand what an engineer does
There is a difference between an artisan and an engineer
An engineer does the same thing all over the world
There are damn good engineers in Nigeria who are employable
anywhere in the world

Secondly solving NEPA problems goes beyond "your newly discovered solutions"
NEPA problem is more systemic than any other thing else

And lastly you need education to do whatever you do, anywhere in the world, unless you want to remain a yessir man all your life!

I have to disagree with you here when you say that the problem with NEPA is not systemic. I happen to agree that the solution to the problem is quite simple. Problem with the system is it likes to put out a picture of bogus complications and complexities which are just excuses to continue as is instead of moving forward to fix things as they should be. That, I believe is the biggest of Nigeria's problems. We would rather ride the horse of pride claiming and proclaiming the problem we have is so complicated that actually addressing it is not even a way to solving it. When we get off that horse and look at things as they REALLY are, we will discover that the solution has been right there with us all this time.

na talk be this?

if you really think you have the patience and will to pursue your case to an end,well good luck.though i wud have adviced you take their compensation and go on with your life .i doubt if the EFCC only wud do justice to this case.try the media,put it online BUT i still think it MIGHT not at the end worth all the stress.
good luck all the same and do stay safe.

, this is news

file getting loss in EFCC custody?

i think thats is the point here

if there is any EFCC member in this forum may be they should look into the matter
by the time case files get missing

then something is wrong somewhere

or someone is hiding something,

One thing that surprises me is how an average Nigerian thinks. I'm sorry for those who advise you to go take some peanus and walk away.

@poster
YOu have made a good point and your second post explains more but you have failed to point out if your fight is to be generously compensated or just to paint the company black and bring it's dubious activities to light.

Secondly, i suggest u find a different title to this thread than diverting most nlder's attention from the real problem on ground to the corrupt practices in EFCC.

Be that as it may, i encourage you to go for it dude, with God on your side, victory is sure!