Senate upholds dismissals in two high-profile complaints

The Senate has endorsed the recommendations of its Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions concerning two high-profile cases: one involving misconduct allegations against a former civil servant, and another addressing claims of wrongful termination of employment.

In the case of alleged misconduct against Mr Uwalaka Peter Ebere, a former staff member of the Office of the Auditor-General (OAGF)for the Federation, the petition was presented by Senator OnyewuchiEzenwa (Imo East).

In the complaint, Ebere claimed wrongful dismissal in 2020, insisting he was denied a fair hearing, and thus sought reinstatement with payment of outstanding salaries.

However, the committee’s investigation revealed that he was guilty of employment racketeering.

He was found to have extorted job seekers under false pretences, issued fake appointment letters, and later refunded part of the lucre when confronted by one of the victims.

The committee affirmed that both the OAGF and the Federal Civil Service Commission found him culpable of fraudulent practices.

The panel, led by Neda Imasuen, had recommended upholding Ebere’s dismissal to serve as a deterrent to others.

It had also directed the OAGF to identify similar offenders and hand them over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.

The hallowed chamber unanimously adopted the recommendations.

In the second case, Senator Sunday Marshall Katung (Kaduna South) presented the petition of Mr Yakubu GakuMbaka, who alleged wrongful termination of his employment by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in 2018.

Investigations by the committee showed that he was employed as a junior staff member in 2015, primarily as a security operative.

His job was terminated after the managing director he was assigned to, left office and the company outsourced its security operations.

Mbaka received a severance payment of N1.5 million and signed all necessary exit documents.

Despite this, he sought reinstatement and back payment of salaries.

The committee’s findings indicated that Mbaka’s employment was not statutorily protected, adding that he had completed his exit process and accepted his severance package.

It, therefore, recommended rejection of Mbaka’s request for reinstatement, a decision the Red Chamber also adopted.

In his remarks, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, lauded the committee for a thorough job.

He highlighted the chamber’s role as a platform for addressing the grievances of ordinary Nigerians and called for greater support to empower committees handling public petitions and complaints.