There is confusion in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Abuja Investment Company Ltd (AMML), Abubakar Usman Faruk, allegedly refused to hand over after he was sacked by the Minister of the FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike.
The FCT minister had recently relieved heads of 21 agencies and government companies of the FCTA of their appointments with immediate effect. This included the MD/CEO, AMML, MD/CEO, Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company, among others.
A statement by the director of press in the office of FCT minister, Anthony Ogunleye, directed the affected head of departments to hand over the affairs of their offices to the most senior officers in rank, while appointments into the offices will be made in due course.
However, a visit to the corporate head office of the Abuja Markets Management Ltd (AMML) located at Adisa Plaza in Gudu district, Garki Abuja, Friday showed that the MD/CEO of the agency, Abubakar Usman Faruk, has not handed over to the most senior staff of the company as directed by the FCT minister.
It was learnt that Mr. Faruk is relying on a judgment from Federal High Court to the effect that the FCT minister has no power to redeploy him, let alone sack him, in line with the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).
He had gone to court to challenge his redeployment on learning that former FCT minister, Mohammad Bello, had approved his sack at the twilight of the Buhari administration and he came back with a judgment, stating that he remains a director of AMML and that he could not be removed without due process.
Responding to the judgment, the company’s shareholders in an Extraordinary General Meeting in July 17 2023, sacked Abubakar Faruk as the Managing Director of AMML.
Again, Faruk came back with an injunction from the National Industrial Court restraining anyone from sacking him, days after he was duly relieved of his job as the MD/CEO.
However, speaking with our reporter, the Head of Department, Corporate Services of the agency, Ibrahim Yahaya-Joe, insinuated that Faruk had handed over.
“Whoever told you that our MD has not handed over should come and investigate it. Let me inform you that our managing director is a very law-abiding citizen of the FCT,” he said.
But the head Corporate Affairs, AMML, Innocent Amaechina, said he is not aware that the embattled MD has handed over to anyone as directed by FCT minister.
