By Tosin Adesile
The Federal Polytechnic Bida has decided to sit on the promotion of five members of Academic Staff of the polytechnic for four years for an alleged case of misinformation to cause mischief without respect for the provisions of the constitution and civil service rule on fair hearing.
Sparklight News gathered that there was a rumour that the rector of the polytechnic, Dr Abubakar Dzukogi had petitioned the Federal Ministry of Education that all Stakeholders at the Federal Polytechnic including the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Bida ( ASUP-BD) were not happy with the Council chairman, Hon Innocent Ugo Chima and wish for his removal from the council.
Hearing this, the leadership of ASUP-BD met and agreed that the chairman of the Union put a call to the Council chairman, Hon Innocent Ugo Chima to clear the air that they were never part of the stakeholders purported plan in the so-called petition by the rector of the polytechnic.
Having reached an agreement on this, Comrade Abubakar Ndasabe Ndagi, Chairman of ASUP-BD was said to have placed a call to the council chairman of the Institution to inform him that the union weren’t part of the on-going action should it appear to be true. This singular action by the union leaders snowballed and resulted into an act of misinformation that led to series of misunderstanding between the principal officers of the institution.
The Council immediately constituted a committee to look into the immediate and remote causes of the case of misinformation leaked from the ASUP-BD. The Committee then invited the Union Leader, Comrade Abubakar Ndasabe Ndagi, Chairman of ASUP-BD and four other Chapter Executive Council members as Witness on the allegation of gross misconduct.
The Polytechnic invited Comrade Abubakar Ndasabe Ndagi to face the Senior Staff Appointments and Disciplinary Committee and Promotion Committee panel in company of invited witnesses which Dyadya Mohammed Umar happens to be one of the witnesses on the 31st of March,2022.
After the round up of the committee, the Senior Staff Appointments(SSA) and Disciplinary Committee(DC) made a recommendation to the council at its 89th regular council meeting held on the 26th and 29th July approved and considered the recommendation of the SSA and DC that the former five members of the ASUP-BD who claimed to have mandated the Union leader, Ndasabe to contact the council chairman on false allegation without evidence of notice of meeting should have their promotion withheld for four years and also write a letter of apology and another letter of undertaking to be of good behavior. Also, the Chairman of ASUP-BD, Abubakar Ndasabe Ndagi was moved to Non- teaching staff and demoted by 3 ranks for merely talking to Council Chairman.
The five affected Staff of the polytechnic are:
Dyadya Mohammed Umar,Phd
Owoeye Olaniye David
Ramat Ayo Salau
Toufiq Oyebanjo
Ibrahim Abubakar
Following the notice of the council to the affected staff, they wrote letter of apology as requested in the letter written to them dated August 1,2022 but was replied in another memo on the 17th October,2022 signed by Danlami Dauda. Director of Establishment stating that the letter of appeal sent was rudely worded and was without any sense of remorsefulness. It was therefore noted that the council has directed that the affected officers abide by the decision of the council and consider the matter closed.
On the hand,it was learnt that DyaDya Umar Mohammed and others were punished for being a witness contrary to the provisions of Staff Manual on procedures for punishing an erring academic Staff.
The witnesses were never given fair hearing or how can you punish people for being a witness?
Looking at the provision of staff manual,the committee lack the power to try the witnesses.
Here is what the polytechnic act says:
i) A person called as a witness to an inquiry cannot be converted to an offender against whom punishment are meted out by mere testifying. This will be against the principles of fair hearing guaranteed by the 1999 constitution.
ii) Section 17 of the Federal polytechnic act ,apart from issuing a notice of alleged misconduct or inability to perform expected duties as an academic staff,the council is mandated by law to set up a joint committee of the council and the academic board to investigate the matter and to report to the council.
By the section of the federal polytechnic act,the academic board and the appointment and promotions committee are two distinct bodies of the council established by law
The council erred here as it did not constitute the appropriate body or given the appropriate notices.
DEPUTY REGISTRAR INFORMATION SPEAKS
The Deputy Registrar, Mr. Abubakar in phone call with our correspondent on allegation of the council sitting on promotion of 5 members said the people involved were the Union leaders who were punished for misinformation in the Polytechnic. He also said the Registrar of the polytecnic is in the best position to speak on the matter as the secretary of the council. He said he couldn’t speak more since he is not a member of the council.
THE REGISTRAR SPEAKS
In a telephone Interview with the registrar of the Polytechnic, Mallam Hussaini Muhammad Enagi said he wasn’t aware of the issue our correspondent raised and later admitted that they were punished for gross misconduct saying that our correspondent can book an appointment with him if it needed more information or call during office hours.
UNION LEADERS REACTS
The Union leaders affected by the Polytechnic decision were not happy because they only acted swiftly to avoid rubbishing the union in the botched agenda but eventually were caught up as the brain behind the misinformation. In view of that, one of the affected members who preferred anonymity said” we shall approach the National Industrial court to seek redress. How can we be stagnant without promotion for four years in this harsh economy?
UNION APPROACHES COURT
Unsatisfied with the letter of the council, Comrade Abubakar Ndasibe Ndagi and two others of the affected ASUP-BD approached the National Industrial court with a suite No: NICN/MN/07/2022 to seek redress. Sparklight News sighted the notice for mention dated for 14th Novemebr, 2022 and was listed to be heard on Tuesday 6th of December,2022 in Abuja.