…as blackout persist amidst pressure for his resignation
The Managing-Director of Ibom Power, Mr Camilos Umo has not stepped foot at the Ibom power plant site in Ikot Abasi since November last year when he led a deceitful media tour to the plant site raising concerns about on site leadership and operational oversight.
This development comes amid a prolonged salary crisis with employees said to have gone over six months without pay under increasingly difficult conditions.
Sources described the situation as critical questioning at what point prolonged inaction become a leadership failure, saying, the MD has failed and should resign.
Following this paper’s revelation that the Governor planned to sell the Ibom power plant as scrap hence the negligent attitude towards the suffering of the staff. Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah released a statement denying the claim but failed to address the non-payment of staff salary or why the governor has not intervened on gas supply to the plant.
It would be recalled that after that deceitful media tour last year, the MD of Ibom Power sacked over 50 staff on Christmas day saying he had no need for them even though they were Akwa Ibom people that had worked for over 10 years at Ibom Power long before he was appointed MD.
Multiple sources said this sack has heightened tensions within the host communities in Ikot Abasi.
Community sources in Ikot Abasi told this paper that most of the people sacked were Ikot Abasi indigenes who were employed as part of the company’s CSR to the community. The MD who has been accused of being tribalistic replaced the Ikot Abasi indigene with his tribesman from Essien Udim stoking rumors of an ethnic agenda.
Following the sack of the Ikot Abasi indigenes, youths across the clans in Ikot Abasi had written to the MD daring him to either reinstate their indigenes or never step a foot at the plant site again. Upon hearing this, the MD absconded and has not been to the plant site for almost 6 months now overseeing plant operations from Uyo office.
Despite having not been at the plant site since last year, the MD released a memo early this year threatening to sack staff who come late to work even though he owes them 6 months salary.
In response to the threat, staff informed the MD that the plant site had been without water for over a month hence the over 150 of them that work at the plant site are unable to use the convenience when they come to work due to the stench from unflushed toilets and the accompanying health hazards.
Apparently, if the MD had been to the plant site in the last one month, he would have known that there was no water.
Analysts have asked about the effectiveness of the plant’s leadership in managing both operations and staff welfare during this period.
This paper was reliably informed that, like someone who has found delight in the untold hardship and suffering of the staff the MD walks around Uyo office mocking staff and asking why they have not died despite being owed 6 months salary.
It was reported on social media that a senior management staff died because he could not afford adequate medical care while two other staff lost their spouses to health related issues under similar circumstances.
Sources revealed that less than a year after assuming office as the MD, Camilos Umo stopped all forms of staff welfare including feeding. He refused to renew the HMO and discontinued payment of medicals to staff. The failure to renew the HMO led to the death of the senior management staff and spouses of company staff who were initially covered under the HMO. Upon learning of the deaths the MD hastily paid one month medical allowances as a face saving gesture.
The actions of the MD have been described as callous and heartless, a claim he denies. But sources say when his senior management staff was bedridden in the hospital for weeks, the MD never visited him at the hospital and only reluctantly approved the release of a token to support the manager’s medicals when he learned the situation had gotten worse. Even when the manager died, the MD never paid a condolence visit to the family.
This paper was informed that even at the virtual meeting he reluctantly held with staff, the MD had to be reminded to observe a moment of silence for the departed management staff exposing his lack of compassion. Sources say, his lack of compassion towards the departed management staff may not be unconnected to his reported lack of trust for his management staff who he treats with disdain.
Analysts observed that since the MD took office on 15 November 2024 after the former MD was sacked for telling the truth about the gas supply situation to Ibom Power, Power supply in Akwa Ibom state has worsened, while neighboring Abia state continues to enjoy improved power supply.
According to industry observers, before Camilos Umo took office, Ibom power had reportedly sustained Akwa Ibom state on island mode during multiple grid collapses but since he took office Ibom power that once sustained the state on island mode has not operated for 10 days straight under this MD in almost two years, raising questions about his true motive for holding on to the office following such monumental failure.
Sources say staff have continued to drown in debt and untold hardship in addition to family obligations, school fees and house rent while the MD who earns over N4m monthly has found delight in payment of 25% salary since he still takes home N1m while staff that earn N100,000 take home N25,000 in this difficult economy.
Recall that after being called out by this Paper on continued payment of over N10m imprest to himself despite owing staff, the MD stopped the payment of imprest and has now devised another means to pay himself by making up fictitious meetings in Abuja to get travel allowances to attend to his own immediate needs while staff continue to struggle.
According to anonymous sources, several pleas have been made to the MD to officially seek the governor’s intervention but instead he is unconcerned and has no immediate solution in sight. He comes to Uyo office, sits till close of work and repeats daily looking forward to more staff death as he continues to inquire from office to office.
In just one year six months at Ibom power, Camilos Umo has been brutal towards staff welfare, stopped staff feeding, discontinued HMO and payment of medicals, sacked over 50 staff, questioned everyone’s competence except his own, yet, he has not been able to keep the plant on for up to 7 days since he resumed, owes six months salaries and counting a situation that insiders say has pushed families into hardship. The development has triggered questions about the company’s leadership and his capacity to manage both operational demands and staff welfare during a period of financial strain.
(C) The Guide Newspaper
