Mr. Yushau Shuaib filed his case at the National Industrial Court against the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Federal Ministry of Information and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He is seeking four declarations and two orders to nullify his retirement and facilitate payment of his salaries and allowances since July.
In a statement of facts filed on his behalf by Bamidele Aturu & Co Chambers, Shuaib, formerly a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), claimed that Mrs Okonjo-Iweala instigated FCSC to retire him in violation of his freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
He had written a newspaper article earlier in the year alleging that some appointments by the Finance Minister were lopsided, which she denied and demanded a retraction and apology.
Shuaib said following the article, he was recalled from NEMA to the Information Ministry, and subsequently his salary was abruptly stopped.
He said he was then retired by the FCSC without being given a chance to defend himself, which he said was a violation of the Public Service Rules.
Shuaib said the decision to retire him taken at a meeting on June 26, 2013 “without giving the claimant an opportunity to defend himself and without complying with the conditions precedent for retirement is contrary to section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right s(Ratification and Enforcement) Act, cap A9 and Public Service Rules 030305 and 030601 (2008 Edition) and is therefore, illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”
In April, a spokesman for Mrs Okonjo-Iweala denied that she had demanded Shuaib’s sack over the newspaper article, saying: “The minister did not give any order for anyone to lose his job…. (She) has no power to order another minister to fire anybody.”
Source: Daily Trust
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