Comrade Tommy Etim Okon is the National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN). In this media chat with CHRISTIAN APPOLOS, he revealed the position of the National Executive Council of ASCSN regarding the seeming leadership crisis rocking the association.
On the alleged Illegality of the tenure of ASCSN President and Secretary General, what is the true story?
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) runs with a constitution as a registered trade union. I want to say with all sense of responsibility, we are guided by the constitution in terms of our operations and actions. The issue the Bola Audu put in public domain that Lawal and I have retired is not news as far as the association is concerned because our association has organs. And aside from the constitution, the organs take decisions. I want the public to know that, yes, I have retired. I came into the association’s leadership through an election, and I swore to uphold the constitution of the association. Our election was for a tenure of four years and that was the constitution I swore to uphold. This has been the practice; if you retire from service, you are very active, you serve out your tenure. Sunday Job, O.O. Olaitan and Bobboi Bala Kaigama all served out their tenure.
In fact, let me put it on record, even the NEC that took the decision affirming the CWC decision was chaired by Bola Audu. His chairmanship affirmed that Kaigama should serve out his tenure. So it is not new. In the practice, you have the constitution, you have the convention, you have also the tradition and the practice, which we have upheld.
Now on the issue of Lawal, yes, Lawal retired and got his entitlement. But the constitution also empowered us that he can be on contract and that was why we gave him a contract for one year which will expire in December. So all this talk and cry is just a diversion tactic.
My advice is that Bola Audu should concentrate on the case he has in court. The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria is not Bola Audu’s father’s farm. So whatever reason he has to be jumping up and down telling those who are willing to hear lies, only him can explain.
What was the decision of NEC on the National President’s tenure?
NEC me at Lagos Airport Hotel, lkeja and reached a memorandum on the need to allow Comrade Tommy Okon Etim complete his tenure as National President of the association.
At the meeting, the Secretary General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, recalled that Comrade Tommy had earlier served in an acting capacity after the former holder of the Office (Bola-Audu Innocent) was told to step aside and later expelled from the union as a result of the matter he was having with the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) coupled with constitutional breaches he engaged in.
The Secretary General described Comrade Okon’s short stay as the National President of the association as very fruitful and eventful as the union had witnessed phenomenal growth and development.
He listed the achievements recorded by Dr Tommy Okon to include a new salary structure for the staff in NIMC; the newly approved DTA and other allowances for public service employees; facilitating a signed agreement between the Federal Ministry of Education and the union on the lingering issues affecting members in the ministry; continuation of the Abuja secretariat project of the union; continuation of the overseas training programme for members, some of whom had just returned from Dubai and working tirelessly for the restoration of the payment of gratuity to public service employees.
NEC-in-session was informed that Comrade Tommy Okon Etim recently left the service of the Federal Government and the association was now confronted with the same situation that faced it when the former National Presidents of the association, Chief D.O. Dede, Chief J.O. lge, Comrades T.O. Esezobor, Sunday Job. O. O. Olaitan and Bobboi Bala Kaigama retired from service before the expiration of their tenures.
It was also pointed out to the NEC that all the former presidents mentioned above retired from the service before the expiration of their tenures. The union at that time allowed them to complete their tenures, in order to guarantee seamless transition and stability for the platform. He further confirmed that Comrade (Dr) Tommy Okon Etim’s tenure as the National President would come to an end in 2024 and he would not contest again.
NEC-in-session was further notified that the four zones of the union comprising the North, the South-East, the South-South and the South-West zones had met at their various zonal levels and had communicated the decisions they took on the issue to the National Secretariat of the union for necessary action.
It was at that juncture the Secretary General invited the zonal leaders to brief the NEC-in-session about the decisions reached at their various zonal levels.
The South East zonal Leader and Ebonyi State Branch Chairman, Comrade Nwonu N. Michael reported that the South-East Zone met on the issue and agreed that the current National President should be allowed to complete his tenure in office.
That position, he pointed out, was consistent with the gesture extended to past presidents of the union to wit: Chief D.O. Dede, Comrades J. O. Ige, T. O. Esezobo, Sunday Job, O. O. Olaitan and Bobboi Kaigama. All these past presidents retired from service before the expiration of their tenure as presidents of the union and they were all allowed to serve out their tenures.
The Delta State Branch Chairman, Comrade Bolum Martin who doubled as the Chairman of the South South Zone noted that Comrade Okon had provided leadership, and as a general who had demonstrated good leadership traits, he should be allowed to continue in office until the next National Delegates Conference of the association. He affirmed that the South South Zone was in full support of the memorandum presented on the matter.
The South West Zonal Chairman and the Ogun State Chapter Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi G. Edwin reported to the NEC-in-session that the South-West Zone also met and that the zone was in total support of the just presented memorandum that the National President, Dr Tommy Okon Etim, be allowed to complete his tenure in office in spite of his retirement from service.
The National Trustee, Comrade Shehu Mohammed, who is the Chairman of the Northern Forum, informed the NEC-in-session that the Northern Forum comprising the 19 states of the North held a meeting on Saturday, May 7, 2022 in Kaduna where the forum unanimously agreed that the memorandum on the need to allow Comrade Tommy Etim Okon to serve out his tenure in office be adopted wholesale.
Following the presentations made by the zones, the motion for the adoption of the memorandum to allow Comrade Tommy Etim Okon to complete his tenure as the National President of the association was moved by the Abia State Branch Chairman, Comrade Sunday Madu Agoha and he was seconded by the Plateau State Chapter Chairperson, Comrade Anthonia Pamson.
Explain how the one year contract for the Secretary General came to be?
The National President equally informed the NEC-in-session that the CWC had decided at its meeting held on Monday, July 5, 2022 to engage the Secretary General on contract till December 31, 2022. He called on members to discuss the matter with a view to ratifying the decision of the CWC.
The leader of the Northern Zone, Comrade Shehu kick-started the discussion by stating that the union had examined the role played by the $6 in stabilising the union and then endorsed his engagement on contract till December 31, 2022. The South East, South West and South South Zones were equally unanimous in their endorsement of the decision of the CWC to engage the Secretary General (Comrade Lawal Alade Bashir.) on contract till December 31, 2022.
Thereafter, Comrade Emmanuel Edem moved the motion to ratify the decision of the CWC engaging the Secretary General on contract till December 31, 2022 and he was supported by Comrade Akeji Y. Aaron.
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