By Eberechi Obinagwam
The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), has expressed shock over the planned reinstatement of the Managing director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Gur Mohammed, who was removed by Minister of Power, Engr Mamman Saleh.
In a statement signed by the general secretary of SSAEAC, comrade Umar Abubakar Dubagari, the decision by the SGF, Boss Mustapha, to reinstate the sacked MD was unacceptable.
The statement said that there were sundry and repeated actions of the MD to have warranted his sack long ago, including incompetence, indiscipline, impunity, non-compliance to rules, confrontation of his supervisors, open quarrel with other operators and financial malfeasance.
The workers said they were shocked to see a circular, which the group described as suspicious that seemed tailored to restore the sacked MD back to the office that has been occupied by another appointee after his sack.
Also, a coalition of 21 civil society stakeholders drawn from National Power Sector Stakeholders’ Forum has asked President Buhari to call the SGF, Boss Mustapha, to order for what they described as an undue thirst for power and usurpation of statutory powers of cabinet ministers for alleged pecuniary reasons.
The group after an urgent meeting monitored online, warned that the desperate and vexations actions of the SGF was capable of derailing the vision and eroding the legacy of the Buhari administration.
In a statement signed by the National Coordinator, Mr Musa Dawop, and released after their meeting, the group called on the President to investigate the special interest of the SGF in power ministry.
They disclosed that many stakeholders are aware that since the sack of the former Managing Director of TCN, the SGF has been working round the clock to bring him back, describing the purported moves by the SGF as desperate, suspicious, vexations, counterproductive and unbecoming of someone occupying such a sensitive office.
According to the group, “The fact remains that the sacked Managing Director (who is said to be his relative) had constituted himself as a stumbling block to the reform agenda of the President.”
Earlier, in a statement by its general secretary, SSAEAC accused the former MD of sabotage .
“Your Excellency, recently we sent a Petition on the activities of U. G. Mohammed that sabotaged TCN using his position as MD. He formed a partnership with an irresponsible union in the sector to manipulate his Ministers and staff, to have his way in everything.
“Riding on the silly confidence, he unilaterally terminated a career General Manager and our Union President, without recourse to his Ministers nor procedure, anchoring it on false reason of expiration of tenure. He dared his supervisors and mobilized the same union members of which he used as mercenaries to back him up. He had tried other acts of victimization but was desperate to get him out of Service hence he committed crime of misrepresentation of his impeccable service record.
“Thus, the former MD disgraced his Ministers by usurping their powers and refused to withdraw the illegal letter when directed. The Ministers had already made a case for his removal, as approved by Your Excellency and executed, and them circumstantial, controversial and obnoxious Circular surfaced.”
However, the group implored President Buhari not to be deceived to undo his approval even with a veiled Circular that seemed aimed at one goal of restoring a man that has caused the government embarrassment by his actions and behaviour, but if reinstated, will be forced to embark on a nationwide industrial action together with Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.