The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NIC

  • Court rules on Ondo Poly suit July 3

    The National Industrial Court (NIC), sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, will, on July 3, rule in the case filed by 32 sacked workers of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic (RUGIPO), Owo, against the institution’s management.

    Ten lecturers and 22 non-teaching workers, who were sacked last year, are praying the court to reinstate them.

    They said they were laid off for no reason.

    But the management said they were sacked because the institution needed to be re-organised and their services were no longer required.

     

  • Teachers shun Edo assessment test

    Teachers shun Edo assessment test

    LESS than 200 teachers in Edo public schools turned out yesterday to write the much-anticipated assessment test for primary and secondary school teachers.

    The test was conducted at the University of Benin, Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

    It was learnt that about 80 teachers wrote at UNIBEN, 14 wrote at AAU while 15 were present at Auchi Polytechnic.

    Accreditation for the examination commenced at 8am and the exams began at about 11:45am.

    Some teachers who did not participate in the examination were present.

    Those who spoke on condition of anonymity said they would have written the test if the National Industrial Court (NIC) had not issued a restraining order on the exercise.

    Some who came for the test said they wrote the test to save their jobs and because of their families.

    A teacher said: “I came here to vindicate myself and prove the governor wrong.

    “We have so many qualified teachers. I expect to score 85%. The questions are what I have been giving students every day.

    “This is an assessment for learners. The questions were too low for teachers to handle. It was as if I was counting naira and kobo.”

    Counsel to Academic Staff Union of Secondary School (ASSUS), Barr. Olayiwola Afolabi, said it was sad that the government conducted the test even when a subsisting court yinjunction ruled otherwise.

    Afolabi said the court’s ruling was pasted on the walls of their government offices when officials were evading them.

    According to him: “The moment you fail to obey court order, it is contempt of court.

    “Edo state government is not above the law. It is on record that a former Attorney-General of this State went to prison because of contempt of Court order.

    “If they go ahead with the test, we will file contempt charges against the government of Edo state and we will jail them,” Afolabi said.

    Chairman of the Assessment Test Committee, Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor, declined interview with newsmen.

    Commissioner for Higher Education, Washington Osifo, insisted that the state government was not served any court injunction stopping it from conducting the test.

    The commissioner said the test was not punitive but to secure the future of the children.

    He explained that cameras were not allowed into the test venue so as not to harass the teachers.

    “Government is set to conduct the assessment test. Nobody will force anybody to do what is right.

    “The test is in the interest of the teachers and Edo children. We are not aware of any restraining order stopping the test.

    “An attempt to get an order does not in itself translate to an order stopping the conduct of the test,” Osifo said.

    Ruling on a motion Ex-parte brought by Counsel to the secondary schools teachers, Olayiwola Afolabi, the National Industrial Court, presided over by Justice B. A. Adejumo, granted an interim order of injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, agents, servants or privies from conducting any competency test for the claimants/applicants pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    The Court also ordered that neither of the claimants/applicants nor any of the defendants shall involve itself in any act of commission or omission that may lead to break down of law and order as a result of the subject matter contained in the Motion Ex-parte or Motion on Notice.

     

  • NIC to set up centre

    The National Industrial Court (NIC) is set to establish an Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre (ADR), its President, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, has said.

    He said this in Abuja, while addressing the bar during the hearing of a case filed by former pension boss, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, challenging his dismissal from office.

    He said the centre would be saddled with settling disputes lodged in the court through alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

    “If a case is filed at the court and all parties filed their processes, it can be referred to the centre for possible out-of-court settlement.

    “After a case is filed and the parties in the suit have properly joined issues, they will be sent to the ADR Centre, and if they fail to settle, they will return to the court for hearing to commence,” he said.

    He said the centre would be an important means of resolving industrial disputes in the country, urging counsel to always embrace out-of-court settlement of industrial disputes.

  • Court orders NICON Insurance to pay FIRS N200m

    Court orders NICON Insurance to pay FIRS N200m

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has awarded more than N200 million against NICON Insurance and National Insurance Commission (NIC) in favour of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    The Presiding Judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, also granted the claims of the FIRS of 10 per cent interest from February 2008 to date and 10 per cent post judgment sum.

    According to the Deputy Director, Communication and Liaison Department, the Judge also awarded the cost of N50,000 each against NICON Insurance and NIC.

    The FIRS had through a Writ of Summons, signed by Idrissa Kogo of the Legal and Prosecution Department supported by 33-paragraph Affidavit deposed to by Omofoyewa Taofeek Laide, claimed N99, 917,061.80 against the defendants as a balance of its claims under the Staff Welfare Insurance Scheme with the NICON Insurance.

    The Service sought a 10 per cent interest per annum from February 2008 till judgment is entered and 60 per cent interest on the judgment sum until it is liquidated.

    Also, FIRS sought N100 million as general damages against the defendants for wrongfully holding onto the Service’s N99.9 million despite repeated demands for the said amount.

    The dispute between FIRS and NICON Insurance arose when FIRS noted that NICON was unable to meet its financial commitments to FIRS beginning from about 2007/2008.

    FIRS told the court it contributed a total of N220 million to the scheme— from staff entitlements and benefits, designed to mortgage the funds of the scheme for the benefit of FIRS contributing workforce.

    The scheme kicked off in 1997, when FIRS paid N10 million to NICON.

    At a reconciliation meeting between FIRS and NICON on February 27, N155, 417,061.80 million was established as NICON’s indebtedness to FIRS. NICON paid an installment of N23 million in March 2008 and another N15 million in May 2008. Between 2008 and December 2010, a total of N17. 5million was paid to FIRS, leaving a balance of N99, 917,061.80, that led to FIRS’ suit.