By Baba Yusuf
Arewa Youths for Peace and Security has petitioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Musa Bello, over the “maladministration, nepotism and controversies” that played out during the tenure of the recently sacked and redeployed coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC).
They said the assistant director had left with two years to retire was sent packing without being allowed to observe the normal pre-retirement leave.
The petition signed by the group’s image maker, Salihu Dantata Mahmud, stated that the fundamental human rights of the said assistant director from the North- central zone was abused and infringed upon.
“It is a normal procedure for civil servants to complete their years of service before embarking on retirement. The mandatory years for the civil service is 35 years, in the process, a pre-retirement leave is given to the retiring civil servants.
“The way and manner the assistant director was treated raised eye brows and suspicion, especially from the then leadership of AMMC led in acting capacity by a woman who has now been redeployed tot the legal Services Secretariat as DFA.
The youth prayed that that FCT Minister and his permanent secretary “should, as a matter of urgency, institute a probe panel to investigate their claims and reinstate the assistant director without delay.”
“We cannot afford to tarnish the good image of the Buhari administration’s anti-corruption fight, respect for the dignity of all Nigerians as well as “belonging to no one and belonging to nobody.
“The earlier the FCT Minister acts, the better in the interest of the family of this assistant director whose unexpected exit and frustrating premature retirement subjected him to starvation, loss of his monthly salaries, inability to pay children school fees, hospital bills and meet up the demands of other family members. The assistant director in question is an asset to the FCT Administration in technicalities.”
The group further advised the minister to re-orientate the leadership of the various mandate secretariats, departments and components of the Federal Capital Territory administration for effective, unbiased and satisfactory service delivery.
“It doesn’t lie on the leadership of the AMMC to connive with some of the corrupt staffs of the then establishment department now human resources department to manufacture half-baked retirement letter to faces they do not like. It is a known fact that the FCT minister and his permanent secretary are the only ones empowered by the constitution to transfer, appoint, discipline and dismiss any staff of the administration, especially on the directorate cadre. The ill-fated move by the then AMMC Boss portrayed the FCT administration as if it lacked experienced coordination of administrative activities. It could be recalled that this same episode played out during the tenure of the immediate past permanent secretary who hired and fired at will.”
