CPN suspends registrar, three top officials for alleged abuse of office, others

FOR offences ranging from extended stay in office, gross insubordination and other various forms of abuse of office, the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), has sacked its Registrar, Shehu Sikiru and three other top officials.

According to the information gathered by The Guardian yesterday, the other three sacked officials include the Director of Membership, Ibrahim Is-qak; Legal Director and Head of Abuja office, Abass Ufure; and Director, Human Resources, Taofeek Amao.

CPN is the Federal Government agency in charge of registration of all computer professionals and for the formulation of Information Technology (IT) curriculum in schools.

A reliable source, who was at the CPN board meeting on Friday, where the resolution was taken, told The Guardian that the body took the decision to sack some of its members for various offences that were inimical to the growth and development of the council.

The source informed that while Sikiru was asked to proceed on terminal leave and to immediately handover to Idowu Olushile, who is the most senior staff member after Sikiru, Ufure was also asked to proceed on terminal leave and to also handover to the next senior staff of the Abuja office. Is-qak and Amao were however given outright sack for indiscipline and insubordination respectively.

The source disclosed that the council frowned at the manner in which Amao handled his office by writing several unauthorised letters to the Federal Ministry of Education, under which CPN operates, without the consent of the council members, which they described as insubordination.

Is-qak was alleged to have abused his office through acts of indiscipline.

However, Sikiru, according to investigation, has overstayed his two terms in office since 2014, and was not willing to leave office for personal reasons. Sikiru was appointed registrar in September 2006, and his second tenure of eight years was supposed to have ended since August 2014, but he refused to step aside.

According to the source, the refusal of Sikiru to leave office as at when due was also responsible for the failure of former CPN President, Alhaja Sekinat Yusuf, to get a second term in office at the council’s conference held in Calabar, Cross River in June.

As such, the council, under the new president, Prof. Vincent Asoh, after going through his files, recommended that he proceeded on terminal leave with immediate effect, while Olushile was appointed Acting Registrar with immediate effect

Olushile who confirmed the shake up at CPN, however said it does not amount to sack, but an exercise that was long overdue.