Shippers Council uncovers irregularities in 2023 recruitment process

•to commence employment review soon

 

 

The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Pius Akutah has revealed that he suspended the last recruitment exercise conducted in October 2023 by his predecessor, Emmanuel Jime for 45 workers due to irregularities noticed in the employment process under the Public Service Rules guiding employment into the agency.

Speaking with Tribune Online exclusively in Lagos, the NSC Boss revealed that efforts are underway to review the employment process and do it in line with Public Service Rules.

According to Akutah, “I am even surprised that this is just being talked about in January 2024 because this happened in November 2023 when I resumed office here at the Shippers Council. Is it possible for somebody to resume at a new organisation and sack people that have already been duly employed legally into the organisation? No, because there are rules governing the organisation in the first place.

“When I newly arrived here, I met a petition on my table already waiting for me. The petition, which was against the recruitment exercise of the 45 workers, was already on my table before I came into office, waiting for me.

“So when I came into office and saw the petition, I called the Labour Union in the Shippers Council and asked them if there is another way we can settle the issues surrounding the recruitment exercise because the petition was against the recruitment and wants it cancelled.

“When I asked the union if there is another way we could handle the issue surrounding the recruitment, the Union said No, that the recruitment was not done in line with extant provisions of the Public Service Rules. That they cannot allow the recruitment to stand.

“So, I began to ask, what is the problem? The issue is that there was actually a recruitment process that commenced under my predecessor, but the recruitment process had not come to the point where employment letters ought to have been issued. Employment letters were issued to the workers after my predecessor, the Executive Secretary/CEO was removed from office.

“Although the employment letters given to the affected workers were dated the 10th of October, the letters were not issued until after the 25th of October 2023 when my predecessor had been removed from office.

“All this time, I was not here then, and the Union kicked against the recruitment process and said it must be stopped. When I came into the office and saw the petition kicking against the recruitment on my table, I actually said we would go on and conclude the recruitment exercise. That we will do it in a manner that is in line with the Public Service Rules.

“So, we wrote the affected 45 workers and told them to hold on, that we are suspending the employment process and will review it to ensure it follows due process. Since then, I have refused to speak publicly about this issue since it’s an internal matter that we are trying to resolve. However, I was surprised to see that the affected workers have taken this issue to the public space, alleging that I cancelled their employment.

“The process to review the employment is on, that’s why I didn’t want to speak about this publicly. If you remember, I resumed here on the 1st of November 2023, and since I resumed here, there have been so many activities between Abuja and Lagos.

“We ought to have started the review of that employment in November 2023 when I resumed here, but because of my very busy schedule, we have not been able to begin the review. I have had to travel countless times between Abuja and Lagos to meet requirements of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, including stakeholder engagement, even though it’s not something I enjoy doing. It’s the exigency of the work which I have no other choice than to do.”

On when the suspended employment process will be re-started, the NSC Executive Secretary explained that “We are calling everybody back very soon to see how we can go on with the employment exercise in a manner that it is supposed to be.

“We have not sacked the 45 persons involved in the recruitment. Nobody was given a sack letter. What we gave them was a letter telling them to hold on, and that there is a review of the employment process. We gave them the letter in December 2023.”