1,000 Teachers Recruitment: Sacked 5,000 Remind AKSG Case Pending In Court
… Demand Reinstatement, Payment Of Entitlements
By UbongAbasi Ise
About 5,000 Akwa Ibom teachers allegedly sacked by Mr. Udom Emmanuel’s administration have become wary over the new recruitment process currently undertaken by the state government.
Their counsel, Barr. Clifford Thomas, while addressing them during their internal authentication exercise in Uyo recently, said the original processes of the case between the aggrieved teachers and the Akwa Ibom State government at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) discountenances fresh recruitment until the suit is determined, while the Court of Appeal position supports status quo ante.
“The original processes at the National Industrial Court said that they cannot employ, and when we were taken to the Court of Appeal, the court said status quo ante must remain, which means they are not suppose to recruit without settling with us,” he said.
In regards to the new teachers’ recruitment, the human rights lawyer reminded his clients that the age of some of them has gone past the entry point, hence their 2015 recruitment date remains sacrosanct, adding that “any employment done on you must respect that date.”
Meanwhile the aggrieved teachers allegedly sacked in October 2016 recently took to the streets of Uyo in a peaceful protest with their appointment letters dated April 15, 2015, calling for their immediate reinstatement, posting and payment of all their entitlements.
The coordinator of the embattled teachers, Mr. Ukeme Anwan, said over 22,000 persons applied for the job but 5,000 were recruited after rigorous screening exercises, including examination and fulfillment of other requirements. He therefore declared that allegation claiming that teachers were employed through the backdoor is unacceptable, saying “we want government of Akwa Ibom State to post us to the places of our duty because we were duly recruited and all the documentation and recruitment exercises were done on us.”
Also speaking, Mr. Imoh Eneh, who is one of the teachers affected by the purported sack, said they had gone through documentation in appropriate government quarters, confessing that they have experienced untold suffering and frustration that have resulted to the death of about five persons.
“We are coming to tell Akwa Ibom public and also to make our appeal to the government, which we believe and assume that it’s the listening government, that the people that were employed, had all the necessary documentation done and sent to the Ministry of Education, Establishment, Office of the Accountant-General of the state in 2015. All the documents pertaining to the job were given to us and we have all of them here.
“We are coming to tell the government that in the past five years we have lost six persons. Two have committed suicide due to depression and suffering they faced while going to the streets with their appointment letters. We are coming to tell the world that we need our jobs back; we need our posting; we need our entitlements and we need our emoluments,” he said.
Recall that about 5,000 applicants were given Offer of Appointment Letter into Pensionable Establishment dated 2 February, 2015 in line with Chapter 2 of the Akwa Ibom State Public Service Rule (2010 edition).They were employed as Master/Mistress Grade II, on Salary Grade Level 08, Step 2 with a commencing salary of N369,324.48 per annum. Their Letters of Appointment were eventually issued to them on 15 April, 2015 with effect from 1 April, 2015.
But on 30 October 2016, the then Head of Civil Service, Mrs. Ekereobong Akpan according to the directive of Governor Udom Emmanuel, made to be announced on the radio service of Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) the invalidation of appointment of 5,000 teachers, an event that threw the state government and the aggrieved teachers into legal battle.
The case is currently pending at the Court of Appeal, Calabar as the Akwa Ibom State Government approached the appellate court to appeal against the ruling of Justice M.N. Esowe of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Uyo Division delivered on the 18th day of May, 2017 in Suit No. NICN/Uy/03/2017 in which the Court ruled that the action of the Respondents was correctly commenced by way of Representative Action.
©The Rights Journal
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