Job losses at FCT awaits ratification
From Martins Oloja, Abuja Bureau Chief
THE Executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mohammed Sani Alhassan, yesterday confirmed the retirements and job losses in the authority.
He, however, said the exercise was yet to be okayed by the office of the Head of Service and the Federal Civil Service Commission.
He told reporters in Abuja that the reform process affected 130 members of staff in the FCDA alone.
According to Alhassan, seven directors, 19 deputy directors, 30 assistant directors and 27 other senior officers were affected by the downsizing. Others affected, he said, were junior workers.
Alhassan said the exercise, which also affected the FCT ministry could only be confirmed by the office of the Head of Service and the Federal Civil Service Commission.
But the Head of Service, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, quickly dissociated his office from the exercise yesterday saying that the President's directive to him on the issue of retirement insists on due process in its implementation.
The Head of Service in a statement yesterday said to underscore the due process in the exercise "the affected civil servants have been issued letters of query by their permanent secretary in order to give them fair hearing".
According to him, "a special committee has been established to conclude all the cases expeditiously". Alhaji Ahmed, therefore, directed: "Pending the conclusion of the due process, all affected officers are advised to remain calm at their duty posts".
Despite the quiet in the FCT Ministry yesterday, it was confirmed that at least 15 directors have been recommended for sack.
An officer in the office of the Head of Service told The Guardian last night that the process of dealing with civil servants' sack is so tedious that there are already three committees on ground to deal with reforms and job losses.
They are National Council on Reforms headed by the President. Steering Committee on Reform, with Finance Minister as head and the Bureau of Public Service Reforms headed by Dr. Goke Adegoroye.
The FCT authorities said yesterday that they were covered by Public Officers Special Provisions Act Cap 381 Section 4 which provides for suspension of Section 4 of the Constitution in carrying out a retrenchment of this nature.
The FCT Minister could still not be reached yesterday. Only last week, the Head of Service told The Guardian that the president has not okayed the power to hire and fire by individual ministries.
But The Guardian learnt that the president has approved the current exercise in the FCT.
There were fears that due process may be sacrificed in the current reform.
