Nigerian Railway ordered to reinstate sacked worker

Nigerian Railway
Nigerian Railway
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to within 14 days upon service of the enrolled judgment order on it, reinstate Mr. Henry Edward to his office.

Justice Abang also ordered that within 21 days, the NRC should calculate and pay the plaintiff his salaries from June 2004, when he was suspended from duty and all accrued entitlements as required.

The plaintiff, Edward, filed the matter against his employers, NRC challenging what he saw as unlawful dismissal from his appointment.

The plaintiff in the suit had stated that the procedure followed by the defendant, which finally culminated in the termination of his appointment was improper, illegal, null and void and of no effect.

The plaintiff further stated that he started having problems when the District Internal Auditors (DIA), Kafanchan sent an audit report dated May 20, 2004 stating that the Makurdi Station had failed to regularize certain withdrawals and earnings from March 16, 2002 to April 26, 2004 amounting to the sum of N5.7m.

According to him, the DIA had instructed that the plaintiff, who is the principal traffic and commercial officer as well as the Cash Parcel and Baggage Agent should be surcharged to the tune of the amount stated till the amount is receipted and regularized.

He maintained that no panel of enquiry was set up to look into the issue before he was dismissed.

Edward stated that on June 22, 2004, he was suspended from duty and placed on half pay for an act of insubordination among others. He said that the unlawful termination of his appointment was a tactics meant to deprive him of his pension which was barely two years from the date of the purported termination.

Author

Tags