Group drag Finance Minister, National Teachers Institute to court over illegal suspension of 150 staff

PRESS STATEMENT
Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP) has dragged the National Teachers Institute (NTI) Council based in Kaduna and the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun to the National Industrial Court over the illegal and unlawful suspension of appointments of over 150 newly recruited staff at NTI.

The hearing of the matter shall come up on Tuesday, 14th November 2017 at the National Industrial Court, Abuja Division.

The 150 victims were recruited in April 2016 and a newly appointed Director General of the institute, Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare upon resumption ordered the employment be suspended in August 2016. No reason was given for the suspension, despite numerous inquiries.

In an effort to avoid any litigation on the matter, the victims wrote several petitions to appropriate authorities for intervention, which include but not limited to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, National Human Rights Commission and others.

When the aforementioned agencies failed to intervene in the matter, despite having evidences that the recruitment process followed lay down procedure, including a Federal Characters Commission certificates of compliance, which attested that due process was followed in the exercise, the victims ran to several civil society organizations including the Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP).

In our usual practice of avoiding litigation as much as possible, we initiated a process of mediation by seeking audience with the management of the institute in other to come to a common ground. However, our numerous letters pleading for understanding and opportunity for mediation was not honored.

We were left with no option than to approach the industrial court to enforce right of the victims in the interest of peace and justice.

We are therefore praying to the court to do as follows:

1. A declaration that the offer of appointments and or employment granted to the 150 claimants on or about 29th April 2016 complied with all lay down procedures and same are legal and subsisting, which made them bonafide employees of the National Teachers Institute.
2. A declaration that the claimant were not accorded fair treatment by the defendants respectively for not adhering strictly to the provisions of S.7(iv) of the staff regulations and conditions of service of the institute by their failure to make the appointment of the claimant effective.
3. An order compelling the defendants to make the appointments of the 150 claimants effective forthwith
4. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, either by themselves or acting through their agents from making any fresh employment or giving any fresh appointment that will take over the positions of the 150 claimants in any form without fully making effective, the employment of the 150 claimants into the full service of the institute.

We still believe that an out of court settlement will be the best option in resolving dispute of such nature and we are open to discussion with the defendants.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
Executive Director
Foundation for Peace Professionals

pix