Buhari Orders Power Firm Boss’ Reinstatement, Senate Probes Non-Compliance
The Senate has mandated its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate failure by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company to reinstate Mrs. Maryam Danna Mohammed as the General Manager (Audit and Compliance) of the company, inspite of a directive by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The probe followed a petition by the sacked General Manager, which was presented to the Senate by Senator Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai (Borno Central) on Thursday.
Garbai, while presenting the petition, told the Senate that the petitioner, who was one of his constituents, was wrongly sacked when the board of the company was dissolved in 2016.
The senator said out of the 13 general managers of the company, only the petitioner was relieved of her appointment, despite her service to the country in the power sector for over 24 years.
He explained that Mohammed started her service with the defunct National Electricity Power Authority, which changed to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and later NDPHC.
Garbai said that the petitioner had not sought redress in any court of law but had written to President Buhari; the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; and now the Senate.
“Because she was not reinstated despite the president’s directive, she is seeking the intervention of the Senate in this matter. She is a law-abiding citizen with an unblemished and outstanding record of service to the nation,” the lawmaker said.
Garbai laid the petition together with copies of letters written to Buhari, Osinbajo, and the approval for her reinstatement by the President as conveyed in a letter by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Mohammed was sacked on June 10, 2016, following the dissolution of the executive management of the NDPHC through a letter by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
Out of the 13 general managers in the company, only Mohammed was relieved of her appointment as the dissolution only affects executive management, of which Mohammed was not a member.
In her letter to Buhari, dated June 28, 2016, she complained about her “wrongful disengagement” and sacking without committing any offence.
The letter read in part, “There are 12 other general managers of the same status as me that were allowed to remain in their positions, obviously because they are members of the company and not members of the dissolved executive management. This obviously makes the decision to disengage me without committing any offence discriminatory and unfair.”
Source: IWIN