The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has re-elected Comrade Innocent Bola-Audu as President for a second term in office.
Other officers that were elected as members of the Central Working Committee (CWC) included; Comrades Hassan Abba – Vice President; Tari Dounana -Vice President; Andrew Magaji -Vice President; Odunayo Adesoye – Vice President; and Rahab Maigari- National Treasurer.
Others included; Nkiru Aneke – Internal Auditor; Jonathan Aligbe -National Trustee; Gold Dybo – National Ex-Offico; Isaac Lingmu – National Ex-Offico; Christopher Lengbedion -National Ex-Offico; Adebayo Oluwa – National Ex-Offico and Orisamuyiwa Abidakun – National Ex-Offico.
The new members of the CWC were elected at an emergency National Delegates Conference (NDC) of ASCSN which took place at the weekend in Abuja.
The Conference also confirmed the appointment of Comrade Gamaliel Chinyere Acho whose appointment was earlier made by the Central Working Committee and National Executive Committee (NEC), as the Secretary General of the Association.
A communique issued at the end of the Conference and signed by Innocent Bola-Audu and Gamaliel Acho, President and National Secretary respectively, stated that the National Delegates Conference-in-session reviewed and hailed the July 9, 2024, judgment of the National Industrial Court delivered by Justice O. O. Oyewunmi, in suit no. NIC/ABJ/214/2022 between Innocent Bola-Audu vs. Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) & 2 Ors.
The court had affirmed and reinstated Comrade Innocent Bola-Audu as the authentic National President of the Association.
The Conference also hailed the elections as free and fair and noted that it enjoyed healthy participation of delegates drawn from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
In the same vein, the Conference condemned attempts by some former, present members and staff of the Association and their cohorts to fragment, rubbish and destroy the Association and also stop the ongoing police investigations into the colossal financial fraud and other crimes they committed against the Association.
The communique applauded the efforts of the Nigeria Police under the able leadership of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in ensuring thorough investigation and due prosecution of all persons indicted for looting the resources of the Association, and pledged full support to the law enforcement agencies to ensure that justice is done.
The conference further called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene and direct the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to unseal and open the Abuja annex of the National Secretariat to Comrade Innocent Bola-Audu that was duly affirmed by the court as National President of the Association.
It also noted that the illegal action of CP Benneth Igwe in unlawfully and violently sealing the annex several weeks ago was in gross violation of the law (especially the Police Act), stressing that it was contemptuous of the judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
The conference said that the continued sealing of the secretariat is hindering the smooth operation and management of the affairs of the Association.
The communique commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Labour and Employment for the timely resolution of the new national minimum wage issue, noting that N70,000 (Seventy Thousand Naira) is a good benchmark for the least paid worker in Nigeria in view of the high cost of living in the country and the realities surrounding the Nigerian economy.
The delegates to the conference enjoined the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to direct that consequential adjustments be immediately effected on the new minimum wage, and that payment of the new wages should commence no later than September 2024.
The Conference communique urged the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council to promptly engage with the National Incomes, Salaries and Wages Commission and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to put machinery in motion for the consequential adjustments.
