A senior official at the National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMCO) has not been promoted despite serving in the same position for more than a decade, raising questions within the institution after he was recently issued a show-cause notice.
Mohammad Abu Sadeq, deputy director (radio engineering training) at NIMCO, has been working in the same post for 14 years but has yet to be promoted to the position of director.
According to official records, Abu Sadeq was directly recruited as an assistant director in 2004 through the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) in the ninth grade. He was later promoted to the post of deputy director on January 1, 2012, and has been serving at the institute since then.
He is currently the most senior among the deputy directors at NIMCO.
Under existing rules, officials become eligible for promotion to the director position after completing seven years in the feeder post. Abu Sadeq fulfilled this requirement in 2019. However, sources said the position remained unavailable for a long period, preventing his promotion.
Meanwhile, the post of director (training engineering) effectively fell vacant after Md Nazrul Islam, who previously held the position, was attached to the Rangpur Regional Information Office from January 29 last year and later applied for the post of additional director general.
Subsequently, Parvin Sultana Rabby, a senior trainer at the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB), was attached to NIMCO through a notification issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on September 2, 2025. She was later assigned temporary responsibility as director (training engineering) by office order signature by Muhammad Hiruzzaman NDC.
Abu Sadeq, however, has alleged that assigning a non-gazetted official to the fourth grade director position without relevant academic qualifications or experience in broadcast engineering is “irregular and unprecedented.”
He submitted an application to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting seeking current charge of the director post.
In his application, Abu Sadeq noted that he is currently at the final stage of the pay scale for the deputy director position and has no further opportunity for salary increments without promotion.
Following allegations raised against him by Parvin Sultana Rabby, the National Institute of Mass Communication issued a show-cause notice to Abu Sadeq on January 22.
Responding to the notice, Abu Sadeq described the allegations as “false, fabricated and motivated.” He said he has carried out his duties with professionalism and integrity throughout his career and contributed significantly to the development of the institution.
He also said that through his efforts, NIMCO received equipment worth around Tk12.5 crore as a grant from South Korea under a project, and more than 300 media professionals have been trained through the initiative.
When asked about the appointment of the director, NIMCO Director General (Additional Secretary) Muhammad Hiruzzaman NDC said the decision was taken by the ministry.
“Why are you asking me this question? The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting appointed Parvin Sultana Rabby. If the ministry appoints someone, what can I do?” he said.
“I do not have the authority to transfer or replace anyone. If the ministry does not promote Mohammad Abu Sadeq, what can I do?” he added.
When asked whether the appointment followed proper procedure, he said there had been “no problem.”
He also declined to comment on the specific allegations raised against Abu Sadeq.