The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Saturday, 16th of April, conducted its 2016 promotion exams simultaneously in all its zonal offices, for the first time, for officers of the Institute due for promotion.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, officers in the Head Office and Minna State Office converged at the Multipurpose Hall of the Education Resource Centre (ERC), Wuse Zone 7.

With the new dimension of conducting the exam simultaneously in the different zonal offices of the Institute, officers in the State Offices have to go to the nearest Zonal Office close to them to seat for the exam.

 The exam was conducted in a conducive atmosphere by the Consultant and Management Staff of the Institute, and there were mixed reactions from the candidates, as recorded by NICO News shortly after the exam.

For the Head, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Mr. Austine Eberedeni, there were no questions meant for staff of the ICT Unit; rather, they were expected to attempt questions meant for Administration and Human Resources Department, which to him was unacceptable.

His words: ”In 2012, there were ICT questions; but in 2016, they gave me Admin questions. Am I an Admin staff? Anyway, in the objectives, questions 1-40, I tried; worst case scenario, I will get up to 30 correct answers. Even in the discussion/theory section, I managed to write all I know about probation, transfer of service because I know that any officer on transfer of service is not on probation. I think I have tried.”

The Personal Assistant to the Director, Orientation and Cultural Affairs, Mr. Jackson Onobun was excited about the questions of the exam, because for him, the questions were to his favour as he had prayed, saying, ”I prayed to God this morning and said: Father, all I want is for these questions to be to my favour. I have written the examination; I have done my part and I commit the other ones into God’s hand. And I know that we are coming up top;” adding that the conducive environment was a plus to the organisers as it contributed to his positive performance during the exam.

Mrs. Stella Nwainokpor, an Administration and Human Resources officer from the Minna State Office, who is currently in the Training School, Abuja Study Centre, also affirmed that the conducive atmosphere, the questions and the conduct of the exam contributed to her performance during the academic exercise.

In attendance to supervise the promotion exam were the Director, Human Resources, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr. Olatunji Kayode Adebola; and Mr. Ugonna Onyegbadie, the representative of the External Examiner, Professor Emmanuel Dandaura, who was pleased with the overall conduct of the exam.

From a list of a hundred and eighty-seven (187) NICO staffers shortlisted for the 2016 promotion exercise, seventy-five (75) candidates from the Head Office and Minna State Office were accommodated in the Abuja Exam Centre.

Among the candidates who sat for the exam were Mrs. Jane Anigala, Assistant Director, Administration and Human Resources (CONRAISS 13); Mrs. Chioma Duru, Assistant Director, Research and Documentation (CONRAISS 13); Mr. Alhaji Ndaman, Administration & Human Resources (CONRAISS 11); Hajiya Khadijat Amin, Head of Publication, Research and Documentation (CONRAISS 10); Mrs. Ihuoma Nzeaka, Research and Documentation Department and Mr. Ibrahim Kantoma, Cashier, Finance and Accounts Department (CONRAISS 9), among others.

While Forty-seven (47) members of staff on CONRAISS 8 formed the majority of the participants that sat for the promotion exam, there were twelve (12) staffers on CONRAISS 7, just as CONRAISS 6 and CONRAISS 5 had three (3) members of staff each.

It would be recalled that the 2015 NICO promotion exam held on Thursday, 29th January, 2015 at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Kubwa-Abuja, and had all the candidates due for the promotion exam in 2015 from all the NICO zonal and state offices across the country assembly in Abuja to write the exam.

Njideka Dimgba

Corporate Affairs Unit

NICO, Abuja HQ