Workers threaten showdown with NIMC over planned sacking
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria on Wednesday says it has concluded arrangements to call out its members nationwide “to commence an indefinite strike” over the planned sacking of over 1,000 workers by the National Identity Management Commission.
Secretary-General of ASCSN, Alade Lawal, who said this in a statement in Abuja, regretted that the Federal Government had continued to condone and encourage lawlessness of the NIMC management, despite reports submitted to it on recent developments in the commission.
The union expressed disappointment that the NIMC Director-General, Chris Onyemenam, had continued to flout court processes “in respect of his unpopular decision to sack more than 1,000 senior employees for no just cause.”
Lawal said, “The directive by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity that parties should maintain the status quo pending the determination of the trade dispute on the matter and that of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation that he must subject himself to the court process at the Federal Court of Appeal, Abuja, by staying action on the planned sacking have been treated with contempt
“As we write, Onyemenam has summoned NIMC Board meeting for next week to ratify his decision to throw more than 1,000 senior employees into the labour market so that he can replace them with his kith and keen from Delta State as he did after he retrenched more than 5,000 junior workers in 2012.”
The ASCSN emphasised that since all legal means available to check the excesses of Onyemenam had been frustrated by the Federal Government, the ASCSN “has no other alternative than to paralyze the entire public service.”
According to the trade union, all entreaties to the Federal Government to check the alleged culture of impunity by the NIMC boss and his Personal Assistant, had fallen on deaf ears.
The ASCSN said it had called for the removal of both the DG and the said Assistant General Manager.
Lawal said, “It is inconceivable that after being in the saddle for more than nine years, Onyemenam has not been able to issue up to one million identity cards to Nigerians even though billions of Naira has been spent on the project, whereas, the Independent National Electoral Commission had issued more that 80 million Permanent Voter Cards to Nigerians in less than one year.
“The tragedy of this situation is that Onyemenam, who has spent nine years as DG of NIMC and whose term expired since 2013, has continued to sit tight, boasting that he would preside over NIMC affairs for 20 years because nobody can remove him from office. He is now playing God.”
Source: Punchng
