The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sacked

  • Imama to get N53m if sacked

    Imama to get N53m if sacked

    SCORENigeria has been reliably informed that champions Enugu Rangers will have to shell out as much as N52.5m, being Imama Amapakabo’s salaries for 21 months, should they sack him.

    Rangers have handed Imama a “suspended sack” following the team’s recent poor run with officials telling SCORENigeria a decision will be taken on the coach shortly.

    A top insider has now told SCORENigeria that the new contract the young coach signed after he led Rangers to win the NPFL championship last year stipulated that should he be sacked, he will be entitled to a pay off of 21 months’ salaries.

    Imama is the highest earning coach in the NPFL with a monthly salary of N2.5m after he turned down even more lucrative offers from the likes of Kano Pillars and Akwa United at the end of last season.

    It therefore means Rangers will have to shell out N52.5m to see the back of the former Enyimba and Sharks coach.

    On Sunday, they host Zesco United of Zambia in a CAF Confederation Cup final playoff.

  • Vacate your offices immediately, Akeredolu tells sacked LG chairmen, councillors

    Following  the court order setting aside the local government election conducted by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission, under the Chairmanship of Prof Olugbenga Ige, on April 23, 2016, Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu,  has directed that all persons occupying the positions of chairmen and councilors in all the 18 local government areas of Ondo State should are to vacate such offices, forthwith.

    According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Segun Ajiboye: “They are directed to hand over, immediately, all government properties in their possession to the director of Local Government Administration in their respective local governments.”

    The directive is predicated on the order of Honourable Justice Adesola Sidiq of the State High Court, Akure, which found that the 1st and 2nd Defendants, Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission and Prof Olugbenga Ige, the Chairman, conducted the election of 23 April, 2016, “in violation of the mandatory provisions of Sections 1(1) (3), 40, 42, 287 of the Constitution Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, and Articles 2, 3(1) (2), 10(1), 11 and 13 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap. A9, the Laws of Federation, 2004,” and, consequently, dissolved all local government administrative set up across all the 18 local government areas of the state.

    “The state government hereby enjoins all citizens to remain law-abiding as this directive is solely based on strict adherence to the order of the court and our unyielding insistence on observing the rule of law at all times and in all situations.

    Elections into all the Local Government Areas shall be conducted as directed by the court as soon as possible,” the statement added.

  • Senator sacked by court loses stay of execution bid

    The Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom Sate, yesterday struck out the application for stay of execution filed by Senator Bassey Akpan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) representing Akwa Ibom North.

    Akpan filed the suit for the court to stay execution of its February 27 judgment, which declared  Bassey Etim, also of the PDP,as the rightful owner of the ticket that took Akpan to the Senate.

    Justice Fatun Riman, said that since there was an appeal on his judgment of February 27, his court has no jurisdiction to entertain the same matter.

    The court, therefore, struck out the case and awarded N50,000 cost in favour of Mr. Etim, the defendant.

    The court in the February 27 judgment had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately issue certificate of return to Mr. Etim.

    The court faulted the primary that produced Mr. Akpan as the flag bearer of the PDP.

    Speaking to journalists after the judgment, counsel to the defendant, Taiwo Abe, described the judgment as excellent.

    He said that the application was brought by the appellant, PDP and Mr. Akpan.

    “The record shows that the appellant had already filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Calabar.

    “His Lordship said that only the Court of Appeal can entertain stay of execution, since the case had been transmitted from the Federal High Court, Uyo, to Court of Appeal, Calabar, since March 10, 2017.’’

    “I made the application that the court should strike out the case and award me a cost, the judge today has agreed with me and even granted cost of N50, 000.’’

    Also speaking, counsel to Mr. Akpan, Godswill Umoh, said that he was satisfied with the judgment.

    “Actually, that is the rule of practice, since we have filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal; the lower court cannot adjudicate on the same matter. “Earnestly, the rule of practice is we withdraw the case, which I did.”

    Despite the court ruling, Akpan will remain a senator until the Court of Appeal, or eventually the Supreme Court, rules on the matter.

  • ‘5,000 sacked teachers to be re-absorbed after screening’

    Akwa Ibom State government will re-absorb the 5,000 teachers sacked last October on the grounds of alleged fake credentials and other irregularities observed in the recruitment process.

    The Head of Civil Service, Mrs. Ekereobong Akpan, briefed reporters in Uyo.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls the affected teachers, whose appointment letters were dated April 1, 2015, were hurriedly recruited by the administration of ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio a month before the end of its tenure.

    NAN reports that the secondary school teachers had not received their salaries or posted to schools from April 2015 to October 2016, although they were given letters of appointment.

    Akpan said the government had set up modalities for the screening and re-validation of the affected teachers, adding that the exercise would begin on February 11.

    The head of service said the government decided to open another window of opportunity to enable the teachers, especially those who possess relevant qualifications, to be recruited.

    She said the teachers would be screened on presentation of their original letter of appointment from the suspended the exercise.

    “The affected persons will be expected to supply their birth certificates, first school leaving certificates, educational qualifications, certificate of origin and other credentials earlier submitted.

    “Let me state here and very sincerely that the affected persons, who succeed at this fool proof screening, shall be offered appointment to teach in our public schools,” Akpan said.

    She said the government had set up a committee to ascertain the total number of workers inherited from the six privately-owned community schools taken over by the government in 2012.

    The head of service expressed surprise that the staff strength in the six community schools increased to 546 after the government took over the schools.

    “Let me break the good news that the committee set up has submitted its report.

    “All the bona fide teaching and non-teaching workers as identified by the community will be absorbed into the service,” she said.

  • Nine workers, director sacked for alleged fraud

    Nine workers, director sacked for alleged fraud

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje yesterday ordered the sack of nine workers of the Ministry of Local Government for alleged financial misappropriation.
    A statement by the Head of Service, Muhammed Naiya, also ordered the immediate suspension of a director in the Ministry of Finance for his alleged connivance to divert money from the ministry.
    The statement added that four employees of the State Pension Funds Trustee have been handed over to the police for alleged financial fraud.
    According to the statement, preliminary investigation by a special committee indicted the sacked workers.
    Governor Ganduje further warned that any violation of due process, contravening the government’s war against corruption would not go unpunished
    The statement added that the cases have been handed over to the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission for further investigation.

  • How gunmen sacked Akume’s kinsmen in early morning raid

    How gunmen sacked Akume’s kinsmen in early morning raid

    Pandemonium ensued in the Tyotyu community of Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State, after unknown gunmen attacked the town in an early morning raid.

    Not a few houses were set ablaze and property worth millions of naira carted off by the gunmen during the attack on the town located on the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.

    The community is in Tongov council ward, the homestead of the leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Benue State, Senator George Akume.

    The attack was carried out in the wee hours of last Sunday.

    The traditional ruler of Tongov council ward, Mbakor, Chief Toryila Bo, said that his subjects were fast asleep when they suddenly heard sporadic gunshots. He said: “As they peeped out to see what the situation was all about, they saw that about 20 armed youths had taken over the highway. Some of them were seen setting houses and Tyotyu Market ablaze, while others carted away goats, mattresses and anything they could lay their hands on.

    Chief Bo said: “We were not anticipating any attack, hence, we ran for our dear life, leaving our property and personal belongings at the mercy of the gunmen.”

    He explained that men of a police division in Tarka did not respond to their distress call on the excuse that it rained, which was untrue.

    Chief Bo said that the attack was the third on the community since the 2015 general election. He fingered next door neighbours, called Ihyarev (a group among the Tivs), Uvir, and Baa village for the sustained attacked.

    The traditional ruler traced the crisis to the 2015 general election when their next door community (Uvir) asked the Kparev people, another group among the Tiv described as settlers, to vacate the area, so that if their son, who was then a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, won the election, he would set up a company for them on the land.

    “Since Kparev people (another group among Tivs) were sacked from the area, some of them bought land in Tyotyu and build their houses and are living with their family happily, and their neighbours who drove them away are not happy that we accommodated them,” said Chief Bo.

    He expressed shock that while Fulani herdsmen kill Tiv people and burn their houses on daily basis, a Tiv man calls another ‘settler’, kills him and sets his house ablaze. He urged Governor Samuel Ortom to wade into the matter and put an end to it once and for all.

    A youth leader in Tarka, Justice Anzembe, also called on Gov Ortom to order the return of those sacked from Uvir village because no one had the right to send another away from a land that belonged to the state government.

    Anzembe said that the perpetrators were emboldened because they had carried out a similar attack in Kparev community and got away with it.

    At press time, residents of Tyotyu were seen moving their property to safety, while the police spokesman could not be reached for comment as his mobile telephone lines were switched off.

     

  • Why we sacked Kanu, TRIPOB, by RE-IPOB

    The leadership of newly formed pro-Biafra group, Reformed Indigenous People of Biafra (RE-IPOB) – has said it sacked the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as its splinter group, the Rebranded Indigenous People of Biafra (TRIPOB), because they betrayed the struggle for the realisation of Biafra by allegedly collecting money from local and foreign sponsors.

    In a statement at the weekend in Aba, Abia State, RE-IPOB spokesman Ikemba Biafra accused Kanu of insulting “respected” Biafran and Igbo leaders and converting Radio Biafra, which it said leadership of the Movement for the Actualisation Sovereign States of Biafra (MASSOB) set up, into a private propaganda tool.

    The group added that Kanu’s “unguarded utterances” led to the detention and death of innocent Biafran youths.

    It also accused Kanu of insincerity on the Biafran struggle and using the platform to attract fortune and fame to himself.

    The statement said: “The emergence of TRIPOB is a fallout of the internal wrangling in IPOB. Members and officers of IPOB loyal to one of the spokesmen of IPOB, Emma Nmezu, are behind TRIPOB. There is nothing actually different between IPOB and TRIPOB. This is why we wielded the big stick and sacked them to save the Biafra struggle. We urge all pro-Biafra groups to remain calm and stop any contact with Kanu, IPOB or TRIPOB and await further information from RE-IPOB.”

    Reiterating its earlier promise to name their leaders today, the RE-IPOB spokesman added that the names of their mediators, who are expected to dialogue with the Federal Government, would also be announced.

    RE-IPOB said the Biafran movement was not a platform for political shenanigans.

    It added that any political attempt to use TRIPOB to influence the Federal Government by politicians will fail.

  • Recall of sacked workers: PENGASSAN canvasses firms’ compliance

    Recall of sacked workers: PENGASSAN canvasses firms’ compliance

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged the Federal Government to take measures against agencies and oil companies that behave as if they are more powerful than the government and not answerable to it.

    Recently, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, met with oil firms and an agreement was reached not to sack their workers and  to recall sacked workers in the oil sector.

    According to PENGASSAN, some of the oil firms reneged on the agreement.

    Speaking at the Third Women in PENGASSAN National Conference in Abuja,  PENGASSAN President, Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson  said such attitude was not acceptable to the union.

    He said: “We have been having a series of meetings with the government team. You cannot have an agreement with the minister standing in for the President of the Federal Republic and when it’s time to take action, you say no. We, only suspended our strike. If these issues are not addressed properly, we may have to resume the strike.

    “But we don’t like taking that route. That is why we are imploring every agency of the government that whatever agreement reached must be respected. We will abide by our side of the agreement, but if they are not ready to honour theirs, we will have no choice than to resume our suspended strike.’’

    “We had an understanding, but today what we are hearing is that some of them are reneging, especially Fugro Nig Ltd. I must be specific here. They are reneging. If the minister, who is standing in for Mr. President, took a decision and they are reneging, that is an affront on the President of Nigeria. If you know you have no respect for the President, then you pack your things and get out of the country.’’

    Johnson also said the leadership of PENGASSAN would meet with the Federal Government over the threat by the Niger Delta Avengers to kill oil workers, warning that the group’s threat should not be taken lightly by the government.

    “We are having a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment. In view of the issue on ground, this is something we should take as priority. Whatever the issue, let government look for a way to fast track everything and discuss so that there can be peace in this country.

    “This is not time for us to start destroying ourselves and our properties and oil installations. We all need to work together as a country so that Nigeria can rise from the ashes of what we are going through,” Olabode said.

  • Re: Sacked council members petition Buhari over OAU crisis

    SIR: I refer to the story of the above title published in The Nation of Tuesday, July 12.

    I was rudely shocked to read about the violent behaviour of two unions (NASU and SSANU), Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, in the petition written by the Chairman of the unjustly dissolved Governing Council of the university, Prof. Rowland Egba, to President Muhammadu Buhari. Without mincing words, the actions of the unions constitute a serious constitutional infraction that must not be overlooked. It is an offence that should not be ignored so as to deter other persons who may want to do the same in the future. There must be deterrence. These unions must be made to take responsibility for their unlawful actions.

    From the account of Prof. Rowland as reported, it is clear that the Federal Government acted too hastily in dissolving the Governing Council. There is no problem with some unions making allegations about the actions of a Governing Council. But there is a big problem in accepting the accusations as truth and making a grave decision like the dissolution of the Governing Council therefrom. At least there should have been an investigation to establish the veracity or otherwise of the charges. This becomes even important in view of the fact that the unions who made the allegations had even behaved in ways that make their claims questionable. Had the Visitor through the Minister of Education taken its time to investigate the claims, he would not have settled for the embarrassing decision against the Governing Council.

    Certainly, the OAU SSANU and NASU cannot be taken seriously. The university laws on the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor do not even recognise any input from them in the process of appointing a university executive. Why their clangour of disapproval of the emergence of Prof.Ayobami Salami as the Vice-Chancellor of the university sounds more deafening than those of the legitimate actors is beyond me. I agree with Prof. Rowland’s position: There is no doubt that candidates who lost but do not want to come to terms with their loss are the hidden hands pulling the strings of the unions’ puppets.

    President Buhari must reconsider the disbandment of the Governing Council. Apparently there was no due diligence favoured before it was disbanded. There is also in office a substantive Vice-Chancellor that he cannot sack. If he cannot reverse his step as men of justice are wont to do, then the view that his government is hostile to justice and the rule of law is true. In the name of all that is good, I appeal to President Buhari to consider the petition of the dissolved Governing Council and cause an investigation to take place. This should go on while the school is going on with its normal activities. The court case by the unions should go on too. There is a substantive Vice-Chancellor in place; if an objective investigation proves the process that produced him was improper, then the right thing can be done. Justice is never known to be served where the claim of a party to a dispute is upheld as gospel truth.

     

    • Wale Erinfolami,

    Mayfair, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

  • Minister urged to recall sacked VCs

    A group, Concerned Citizens for Educational Development (CCED), has urged Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to comply with the presidential directive to recall the 13 vice chancellors whose appointments were terminated in February.

    In a statement in Abuja, the nation’s capital, by its National Coordinator Solomon Adodo, CCED expressed concerns that despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s public apology for the wrongful dissolution of the governing boards of the affected universities, the directive that the affect VCs be recalled had not been complied with.

    The statement said: “We are dismayed and befuddled that the Minister of Education has chosen to misinterpret Mr. President’s statement and turn a deaf ear to the directive that the imbroglio of sack/removal and replacement/appointment be reversed. This is quite unhealthy for our educational system and the apparatchik of governance as a whole.”

    It added: “Mallam Adamu Adamu has unwittingly usurped the powers of the visitor to all Federal universities by his tacit refusal to reverse his missteps. To this extent, the minister must be called to order and compelled to do things in the right manner to wit: recalling the sacked vice chancellors since he also made the decision unilaterally.”

    The group said most of the affected vice chancellors etched their names in gold as heroes of democracy while serving as Returning Officers in last year’s general elections.