By Ijeoma Olorunfemi
Abuja, Dec. 19, 2025 (NAN) – In a powerful address that transcended a routine farewell, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, issued a fundamental charge to the agency’s leadership cadre. He emphasized that offering professional, unbiased counsel is not merely a duty but a cornerstone of sustainable institutional progress and a vital safeguard against legacy failures.
Ali spoke at a ceremony in Abuja honouring Mr. Stephen Igiewe, the retiring Director of Administration and Human Resources Management. Using the occasion as a platform for broader institutional reflection, he framed candid advice as an act of loyalty to the organization itself, rather than to any individual leader.
He commended the administrative officers for their demonstrated discipline, professionalism, and transparency, noting a unique cohesion within their ranks. “They work like in a regiment, and this may not be obtainable in some departments,” Ali observed, highlighting the systemic strength derived from shared principles.
The MD’s core message was a deliberate encouragement of constructive dissent within the management hierarchy. “There is no rule that says you should not disagree with the MD; your professional advice is welcome at all times because Managing Directors come and go but the institution remains,” he stated. This distinction between the temporary officeholder and the permanent institution is critical. It liberates staff to provide advice based on rules and long-term health, not on personal allegiance or fear.
Ali provided crucial context for this imperative, linking present challenges directly to past failures of counsel. “Many of the challenges we are facing today are remnants from previous administrations because of poor advice they got from their management staff, hence they made wrong choices.” This admission underscores a painful truth: sycophancy and withheld professional judgment create institutional debt that future leaders must repay.
He further elaborated on the nuanced balance required in leadership, sharing a personal lesson: “I have learned the hard way that while rules can sometimes be interpreted with humanity, they must be respected. Respecting rules protects the institution and the interest of everyone.” This speaks to avoiding both rigid bureaucracy and capricious exceptions, ensuring fairness and predictability.
Ali also stressed the leader’s responsibility to actively seek facts. “Leaders should never work based on assumptions but must choose to seek facts because there are always two sides to every story.” This proactive pursuit of truth is the foundation upon which unbiased counsel can be effectively given and received.
Turning to the retiree, Ali described Mr. Igiewe as the embodiment of these principles—a “principled and committed officer whose contributions and interventions had helped steer the agency safely.” He noted Igiewe’s deep institutional lineage, calling him “the face of NAN.” “His father worked and retired here, and now he has also spent 35 years of his youthful life working in NAN.” This multi-generational service represents a living connection to the agency’s history and values.
In his response, Igiewe, who joined NAN in 1990, validated the MD’s thesis from the staff perspective. He outlined the pragmatic necessity of impartiality for administrators: “Administrators are left with no choice than to abide by the Public Service Rules without bias so as to avoid being perceived as incompetent.” His words reveal the professional tightrope walked by those in enforcement roles, where fairness is both an ethical mandate and a reputational shield.
Expressing fulfillment at attaining the directorate cadre, Igiewe said, “I am retiring a satisfied man.” His reflection—”although not too wealthy but I have worked to be able to be comfortable”—highlighted a career built on service rather than personal enrichment, a subtle endorsement of the agency’s ethos.
The event, attended by other management staff who eulogized Igiewe, served as more than a retirement party. It was a public reaffirmation of the core administrative values that sustain public institutions: professionalism, principled advice, rule of law, and institutional memory over personal allegiance. Ali’s speech transformed the ceremony into a clear directive for the future, establishing a template for management culture that prioritizes the enduring health of NAN above all.
Igiewe, who began his career on Dec. 21, 1990, retires on Sunday. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
