Eight Sacked Permanent Secretaries Reinstated By Industrial Court Want Portfolios Reassigned By Rivers State Government
News February 19, 2020 Victor Onyeka-Ben
Eight permanent secretaries reinstated by the National Industrial Court (NIC), after their sack by Rivers Government, have resolved to continue to report at their respective duty posts.
They also told newsmen in Port Harcourt on Sunday that they would continue to respect the order of the court for their reinstatement by
reporting for work until they were reinstated by the State Government.
One of the affected Senior Civil Servants, Mr Sam Woka, who spoke on behalf of others, said that the affected staff resumed on Feb. 11 at
the State Secretariat, Port Harcourt.
According to him, the affected senior civil servants have not yet been assigned any offices after reporting for work following orders by the
Industrial Court.
Woka said they first reported to the office of the Head of Service, the Accountant-General of Rivers as well as the Chairman of the State
Civil Service Commission respectively in relation to their matter.
He also expressed the hope that the state government would eventually obey the court order through their reinstatement and allocation of portfolios.
Contacted on the matter, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, told our correspondent that the State’s Attorney-General as well as the Head of Service were in a better position to speak on matter.
The Rivers State Government had in Nov. 20, 2015, sacked some permanent secretaries, including the state’s Head of Service and the
Accountant General.
But in December, 2015, the permanent secretaries, who were dissatisfied with the action, approached the NIC in Yenagoa, Bayelsa,
for a declaration that the action was unconstitutional.
Ruling on the matter, the presiding judge, Bashar Alkali, held that the state government overstepped its constitutional boundaries by
treating civil servants like political appointees and ordered their reinstatement.
After the court ruling the state government had not reassigned offices to them as former offices have been allocated to other officials.
The affected senior civil servants included Woka; Nuka Nwikpasi; Orlu-Orlu Augustine; Kadilo Brown; Ngozi Abu; and Minabelem West.
Similarly, Mr Itaribo Adokiye, has appealed for payment of outstanding arrears of salaries and allowances owed him by Degema Local Government Area of Rivers.
He made the appeal to Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers; The Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly ; Rivers House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Affairs; and the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State
Command.
He said that on Nov. 10, 2015 he was appointed Caretaker Committee Member and Supervisor of Works in the said council led by Chief Tonye
Tyger Caretaker Committee now dissolved.
He said that he, along with other caretaker committee members, were only paid part of their salaries and allowances before their
dissolution. According to Adokiye, he is being owed more than N8.7 million.
