Ex-staff petitions NASS, seeks N100m from Nigerian Shippers’ Council

Ex-staff petitions NASS, seeks N100m from Nigerian Shippers' Council

 

A former staff of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Adesina Akinyemi, has petitioned the National Assembly over an alleged “undue termination” of his appointment by the management of the council.

He urged the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to investigate his case and prevail on the council to restore his employment or pay a compensation of N100 million for his dismissal and harassment.

He explained that he was engaged in October 1991 on grade level O7 and that his appointment was confirmed in 1992.

“But in 1996, I was forced to sign and receive a letter of dismissal under two armed policemen led by Mr. E. B Dauji, then director of personnel, in January, 1996,” he said.

The former employee noted that no reason was stated in the letter of dismissal he was forced to sign at gunpoint by the personnel director.

According to him, when he realised that his life was not safe, he was forced to go on self exile between 1996 and 2001, where he wrote Justice Oputa Panel to investigate his matter.

Although Akinyemi noted that the council made a step in 2013 to review his unjust disengagement from the council, he, however, explained that some forces in the council foiled the attempts.

He said, “In March 2013, Mr. Samuel Vongtau, the then Deputy Director, Legal Services, called me on phone that Barrister Hassan Bello, then the executive secretary of the council, had asked him to negotiate on the matter with him.

“I honoured the call and decided that the only alternative to the compensation was that the council should reinstate me to my position with arrears of my salaries and promotion,” he said.

However, he noted that two weeks later, the director of legal services called him that the management could not grant any of his requests.

Akinyemi added that in May 2014, the council honoured an intermediary meeting instituted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the first time.

He explained that the council was represented by Mrs. A.I, deputy director, Registry; Seyi Kosoko, assistant director, Research, and Nathaniel Daniel, senior legal officer.

Akinyemi alleged that the representatives promised to get back to NHRC a month after but they have not honoured the promise till date.



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