By Eberechi Obinagwam
Newly appointed Public Trustee, Nigeria Civil Service Union, Monday O. Ubani has identified leadership as a major issue in the Nigeria Civil Service Union.
Ubani in a telephone interview disclosed that it is the issue of leadership that has led to the existing crisis in the union. He, however, said that the union do not want to believe that they have a crisis that requires intervention, rather they are opposing his coming.
He disclosed that they were fighting each other before he was appointed as the Public Trustee of the union.
Ubani, who was the former Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, was recently appointed by the President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Honurable Justice B.B. Kanyip as the Public Trustee of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, following the nullification of January 2018 National Delegates Conference of the union in which Comrade Lawrence Amaechi-led executive was purportedly elected in a brazen violation of a valid court order that status quo be maintained pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Explaining the drama that went on before his appointment, Ubani said: “Following the termination of the suit from the exco, there was a ruling, but they went ahead and run the election. What the court did was to nullify the election. Before then, there was an injunction that he should not go ahead but he went ahead and held the election, so the court concluded that if he cannot obey the court, that means he will be disobedient to other matters. And because nature abhors vacuum, there was a need for an appointment in which I was appointed. And my appointment was purely on merit.
“It was based upon my antecedent and upon my character that I was appointed. I am one of the foremost human right activists who always believe in things being done transparently and uprightly. That may have accounted for this merit.
“It is not a political appointment, it is an appointment from the judicial sector. And for you to have been approved by the judiciary, it means that you must have a level of antecedent and character.
“It is an appointment that I promise by the grace of God to discharge with every sense of responsibility and accountability,” he stated.
The appointment letter from the Industrial Court, dated 29th of December, 2020 stated that Ubani’s appointment is sequel to the Order contained in the judgement delivered on the 25th of October, 2019 by His Lordship, the Honourable Justice Sanusi Kado of the Abuja Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court in the suit between Comrade Benson Ekasa and 1 other v. Comrade Kiri Mohammed (the then National President of the Union).
The letter reads “pursuant to Section 19(c) of the National Industrial Court Act, 2006; Order 59 of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria(Civil Procedure) Rule, 2017 and the Order contained in the judgement delivered on the 25th October, 2019 by His Lordship Hon Justice Sanusi Kado, in the above subject matter suit, I hereby appoint you, Monday O. Ubani Esq, as the Public Trustee for the Nigeria Civil Service Union(herein after referred to as the “Union” for an initial period of three(3) months, effective from the date of your acceptance of the appointment, on the following terms:
1. To oversee and superintend the running of the administration and finances of the Union.
2. To convene National Delegates Conference of the National Civil Service Union and organise election to elect new executive members in line with the constitution of the Union.
3. To render account of your activities within the above specified period in a report to be forwarded to the Court immediately after the expiration of the tenure.
4. To forward a copy of the report to the Honourable Minister of Labour.
5. In the event that you are not able to conclude your assignment within the three months period stated above, you may apply for re-appointment for another three months. In this event, you shall be requested to provide satisfactory reasons why you may be so re-appointed.”
Making known his intentions, Ubani said his tenure will build and leave the union stronger than the way he is meeting them now.
“It’s a divisive union. They are very divided which is not good. I find out that the exco’s were only interested in money and not the union,” he said.
Going on that, he said; “I want to reconcile all the warring parties. How? By conducting a transparent election, and bringing a leader that is acceptable by all to emerge. Because I believe that if a leader that is acceptable by all emerges, they should be able to put their house together and bury their difference,” he said.
Ubani has already visited the Ministry of Labour and Employment, where he saw the junior minister of the Ministry, Festus Keyamo (SAN), and the Permanent Secretary, Yerima Tarfa to intimate them of his appointment by the Court, and also submitted his letter of notification and acceptance to the Senior Minister of the Ministry in the person of Distinguished Senator Chris Ngige.
Also, he commiserated with the family of the veteran Journalist, Prince Tony Momoh, that died recently and prayed God to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss, describing Momoh as a guru.
“Prince Tony Momoh has been a nice man. He is a guru. I am very sad about his death. Many people said they saw him December last year healthy and up till date, nobody knows what happened. May God give the family the fortitude to bear the loss,” he said.
