- To work with incoming administration
The President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Dr. Tommy Okon, has cleared the air on the human trafficking allegation levelled against his predecessor, Innocent Bola-Audu, saying the association was not involved in the scandal.
Okon, who stated this in Abuja, noted that Bola-Audu had been cleared by the court.
However, he said the reference to Audu as their president by reporters, was incorrect.
Okon said: “Naming Bola-Audu as the president of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) was misinformation by the media or deliberate wrong information intentionally given to the media by some people. The proper caption for that story would have been a former president of the ASCSN discharged and acquitted in a case of human trafficking between NAPTIP and Bola-Audu. Therefore, the matter has no link with the association.
“The name of the association was mentioned when he was facing trial. At that stage, the Central Working Committee (CWC) met and decided that he should step aside until the matter was determined. He failed to abide by the decision of the CWC and National Executive Council (NEC) on the matter. He, then, took the association to court and, by so doing, failed to take advantage of the internal dispute resolution mechanism enshrined in the constitution of the association.
“Therefore, the public needs to be enlightened that his being discharged and acquitted does not translate to his coming back as the president of the association. “Bola-Audu has been expelled by the highest decision-making organ of the association, which is the NEC. That decision stands without prejudice to the decision of the court, which has nothing to do with the ASCSN.”
On the status of the case Bola-Audu instituted against the association at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Okon said: “He (Bola-Audu) took the matter to court and the process is still on. With this going on, I want to assure our members that the leadership is not distracted in any way.
“We have just been able to negotiate a 40 per cent increment on peculiar allowances, which the Federal Government has approved. The 40 per cent allowance is for civil servants in the consolidated salary scale structure. Since this leadership came on board, we have also been able to negotiate an improved Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) for civil servants. So, this leadership is a productive one and civil servants are extremely happy with us because of what we have been able to do for them since we assumed office.”
He hinted that the association was engaging the Federal Government on gratuity, which was scrapped when the Contributory Pension Scheme came on board in 2004.
Okon added: “In truth, the Act did not stop the payment of gratuity intentionally, but a negligent on our part led to the situation.
“We are correcting those omissions and government is beginning to see the need to have gratuity restored in the Act. We are hopeful that the next amendment of the Act will see the restoration of gratuity.”
Okon maintained that despite the distractions, the association has remained resolute in forging a labour relationship with the Federal Government, which is yielding results for the betterment of the members of the association. With a new government assuming power on May 29, the ASCSN chief said the association was ready to work with the Bola Tinubu government to push Nigeria to greater heights despite rising inflation, an uncertainty that surrounds the removal of petrol subsidy among other challenges confronting the nation.
“There is no doubt that the living condition of the people is at their lowest level. The challenges that will confront the next administration are formidable indeed, especially if one looks at the rising poverty index and static wages amid rising inflation. The worker is in dire straits. An average worker takes care of about five people without extended families.
“This shows that the minimum wage is no longer enough to take people home. Nigeria is like a vehicle without an engine and finding a workable engine is a lot for the incoming administration. Health, transportation and education sectors need urgent attention right now,” he stated. Okon described the $800 million World Bank loan facility that is targeted at alleviating poverty among 10 million households or 50 million people as an ‘insult’ of the highest grade, saying, “government needs to re-examine components that made up salary such as transport, housing, hazard, education and adjust them to be in tune with the economic reality.
“Some allowances are N2,000 and even below. This cannot be said to be realistic. If the government provides free and compulsory education, quality health care and an integrated transport system, workers may not need salary increments, because basic amenities are in place. I think these are the low-hanging fruits that the incoming administration should pay attention to make life bearable for the working class.