Nigerian Export Promotion Council faces staff disputes and new export drive

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is facing internal tension as workers accuse CEO Nonye Ayeni of attempting to manipulate the 2026 staff promotion exercise. Employees allege that the reintroduction of the abolished Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) scoring system is a strategic move to favor loyalists and bypass merit-based progression. While an industrial strike was narrowly averted in mid-August, management has dismissed these claims as “baseless,” asserting that all promotion processes comply with federal civil service directives.

Separately, Ayeni has launched a nationwide export expansion drive, recently hosting a stakeholders’ engagement in Kano. The initiative aims to double Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings by targeting women and youth and focusing on regional strengths. Ayeni identified Kano as a strategic hub for agricultural production and commodity trading, noting that the Council’s engagement strategy involves visiting all six geopolitical zones to address region-specific challenges and transition from raw commodity exports to processed goods.