Niger NLC, Dismisses Puported Sacking Of 754 Civil Servants

Olabode Adaramola

 In a  statement issued and made available to Journalists on Thursday  in Minna, the organized labour expressed concern over the statement credited to the Chairman of the state Civil Service Commission, Alhaji Shehu Yusuf Galadima, where he asserted that 754 civil servants have been sacked by the Niger state government.

According to the union, “the press statement under review classified the 754 sacked civil servants as thus: 380 forcefully retired for age falsification or alteration of date of first appointment, 328 dismissed for possession and presentation of fake academic certificates, and 46 summarily dismissed for violation of extant civil service rules.

 “For emphasis, Civil Service Commission is statutorily empowered to oversee the employment, promotion, discipline and retirement of civil servants and that is not in contention.

“It is in exercise of such mandate that the commission has so far retired 5,258 civil servants, either by virtue of date of birth or date of first appointment since assumption of current leadership.

“On the forceful retirmenet of 380 civil servants on the ground of either age falsification or alteration of date of first appointment, information available to Nigeria Labour Congress suggests to the contrary, as about 90percent of the said 380 personnel were still on government payroll as at May, 2021.

“For clarity, the Civil Service Commission on its part conducted investigation and believes the 380 civil servants erred, by either falsification of age or alteration of date of first appointment, but processes leading to their compulsory retirmenet have not been concluded, as the commission chairman confirmed to Nigeria Labour Congress that various ministries, departments and agencies staffing the 380 civil servants are yet to submit necessary documents to Civil Service Commission.

“Also, Civil Service Commission is yet to avail Nigeria Labour Congress with details of their findings as required by law, and until laid down procedures are followed to the latter, their compulsory retirement amounts to no issue and same is null and void,” the statement added.

The statement further explained that, for the 328 dismissed for possession and presentation of fake academic certificates, after which 328 of such certificates were confirmed fake, “the Nigeria Labour Congress is handicapped, as it cannot dabble into issues relating to clear violation of extant laws, except where the affected civil servants have contrary and valid claims,” it said.

 The statement  also revealed that those with valid claims on fake certificates issue, the union had intervened and the affected individuals were reinstated and their salary arrears between January, 2021 to May, 2021 have since been paid.

  The union said the decision to sack 46 personnel for violating extant civil service rules, predates the current administration, as their dismissal was undertaken during the administration of Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, but because of irregularities in their dismissal, the Civil Service Commission reviewed the entire processes leading to their dismissal and affirmed earlier decision taken during the last administration.

“For the records and clarity purpose, dismissal of the affected civil servants does not in anyway amount to rightsizing, downsizing or retrenchment in the guise of rationalization as being insinuated, it is a routine exercise which the Civil Service is statutorily empowered to conduct,”

The labour union said the content of the press conference by the commission chairman was misleading and not entirely correct, and the press statement has generated a lot of misgivings in civil service and the public space, hence the clarification.

As such, “civil servants and the general public should compare notes and read in-between the lines”.

It thereby called on civil servants affected by the decision but have contrary and valid claim to approach the state council of Nigeria Labour Congress( NLC) through their respective unions for redress.