How ASCSN took critical leadership decision at NEC meeting to reposition union

Following a recent event that shook the leadership of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), the union took critical decisions at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held in Lagos, to reposition and strengthen the association. Soji-Eze Fagbemi, reports the outcome of the meeting.

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) is without doubt one of the best-organised trade unions in the country. The association is not known to experience the incessant leadership crisis that is the hallmark of other unions within the contemporary Nigerian labour movement. It has also not been tainted by any major crisis and leadership tussles in the past.

It is against this background that the leadership of the union moved swiftly to save it from public odium when its immediate past National President, Comrade Bola Audu Innocent was alleged to have been involved in activities inimical of a labour leader, especially the one that could lead a union like the ASCSN.

The ASCSN is the association that unionised all the senior civil servants in the country. So, in actions and deeds, its leadership believes that it must be above board. Its former National President was arrested and detained by the operatives of the National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on allegations of human trafficking and exploitation of the vulnerable. He was charged to court and the case is still ongoing in court.

To quickly save the face of the union, the union’s Central Working Committee (CWC) held an emergency meeting on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, where it examined the issue of his arrest and detention, and resolved that Comrade Audu should step aside as the National President pending the resolution of all the issues brought up against him by NAPTIP. The emergency NEC meeting held on March 16, 2021, also ratified the decision.

In order not to create a vacuum, the union appointed Comrade Tommy Okon Etim to step in as an acting National President of the union. However, in a query issued to Comrade Audu on June 8, 2021, and signed by the Secretary-General of the union, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, the union accused him of going to court “against the union without taking advantage of the internal mechanisms for settlement of disputes within the union.”

The query further read: “It is observed that you have bluntly refused to obey the decision of the CWC and NEC directing you to step aside. You have instead been engaging in unwholesome and anti-union activities aimed at destabilizing the platform.” The query went ahead to list some of his anti-union activities.

Also, in another letter dated July 6, 2021, and titled: ‘Expulsion from the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria’, finally expelled the former National President from the union, after the CWC “examined the constitutional breaches you engaged in after the NEC directed you to step aside as the National President of the union.”

The query signed by the Secretary-General said, “further to the directive of the CWC at the meeting held on July 5, 2021, I hereby issue you this letter expelling you from the association with immediate effect.”

However, in a letter written by the embattled former National President, on March 17, 2021, and addressed to the Head of Service of the Federation, Abuja, Comrade Audu said he was illegally removed as the president of the union. He admitted that he was arrested by the operatives of NAPTIP on allegations of trafficking in person and exploitation of the vulnerable, but added that the ASCSN acted and based his removal on a “mere allegation.”

Comrade Audu said: “While the matter was going on, my union leaders began to hatch a plan to remove me rather than assist in showing solidarity for a leader in trouble. They eventually called a meeting to do the illegal act. What are the issues? Mere allegation. Have I gone through trial and convicted? Is that what unionism is all about?”

Also, Comrade Audu, on March 23, 2021, wrote a letter to Zenith Bank and instructed the bank not to effect any change in the account signatory of the association and also to disregard any counter instruction from anybody seeking to change the signatory of any of the accounts in the bank. In another letter to Union Bank, Abuja, dated May 20, 2021, he instructed the bank to put lien on the account of the association in the bank.

To reposition the union and strengthen it to enable it to continue the pursuit of members’ welfare, the NEC of the association met recently in Lagos. The meeting deliberated extensively on various labour and national issues, critical among which is the leadership positions.

In a communique issued after the meeting, the NEC-in-session commended the national leadership of the association for all the actions it had taken so far “to strengthen the union to enable it to continue the pursuit of members’ welfare and endorsed the decisions it had taken in recent times to ensure that those who wanted to derail the union were shown the way out.”

Against this background, the NEC ratified the decision of the CWC to expel Bola-Audu Innocent from the association in line with Rule 13(vi) of the union’s constitution. It also ratified the recommendation of the CWC making the Acting National President, Comrade Tommy Etim Okon the substantive national president of the association.

The communique also read: “The NEC equally ratified the decision of the CWC on the contract appointment of the Secretary-General (SG), Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, till December 2022. The NEC-In-session resolved to expel any member or staff of the union found to be relating either directly or indirectly with the expelled Bola-Audu or any other group sympathetic to his cause of plotting to destabilise the union.”

It added, “the NEC passed a vote of confidence on the National President of the Association, Comrade Tommy Etim  Okon, the Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, and the Central Working Committee (CWC) and endorsed all the actions they have taken so far to redeem the image of the association while simultaneously protecting the interest of members in the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) throughout the federation.”

The communique, signed by National President, Comrade Tommy, and the Secretary-General, Comrade Lawal, called for the restoration of payment of gratuity to public service employees. “The NEC-in-session regretted that since the enactment of the Pension Reform Act 2004, the government has stopped paying gratuity to public service employees even though the Act did not abolish payment of gratuity which is why gratuity is still item 44 of the Second Schedule on the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and as such remains an inseparable component of Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The NEC accordingly lent its voice to the call by the national leadership of the association on President Muhammadu Buhari as a father to all Nigerians to, without any further delay, direct the restoration of payment of gratuity to public service employees in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.”

The union also expressed worries at the worsening insecurity in the country and noted with dismay that escalating incidences of violence have created a spectre of fear among the citizens. It, therefore, urged the Federal Government to rejig the security architecture in the country and reposition it to meet the aspirations of the citizens so that they could go about their daily activities without fear or hindrances.

On the daily deteriorating value of Nigerian currency, the communique said the NEC reflected on the free fall of the Naira against the US Dollar, including other international currencies and the consequent rise in the cost of living which has brought untold hardship to millions of citizens. It, therefore, enjoined the government to take necessary measures to improve its monetary and fiscal policies to shore up the Naira and check the consistent downward slide of the currency.

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