BY TAIWO OGUNMOLA-OMILANI
The President General of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) Engineer Christopher Okonkwo has re-emphasised that he was not appointed in 2014 but on the 1st February 1993 in NEPA and to retire on the 30th November, 2024.
This he stated in a letter titled, “Service records falsification, usurpation of authority and forgery by MD TCN” and dated 13th May 2020 received from the office of Hon. Minister of State Power.
In his defense against the allegation leveled against him, Okonkwo explained, “I am 27 years plus in service. I shall retire on age, by God’s grace on 30th November, 2024. My appointment was in the line of my competence as an electrical engineer for 32 years” .
Okonkwo added that “my letters of appointment/promotion /posting being in furtherance of my career service did not carry term/tenure of service since subject to civil/public service bar of 60 years age or 35 years length of service.
“I wonder where the conclusion that my service ended on 12th June 2018 came from. This has portrayed me as a liar and a cheat, and subject to appropriate redress.
” MD’s issuance of such erroneous letter seems in furtherance of your efforts to victimize me through unwarranted queries. MD had issued unwarranted queries as duly replied. You also posted me out of non-existing/fictitious special duties office”.
However, in a letter dated 11th May, 2020, NUEE and SSAEAC applauded TCN management letter on the expiration of political appointment of Comrade Chris Okonkwo from the Organisation.
The letter read, “we make bold to say that the Senior Staff Association of Electricity And Allied Companies (SSAEAC), the National Union of Electricity Electricity Employees (NUEE) in TCN and the entire workforce are justified. Our earlier cry points to this fact.
Parts of the grouse of the unions stated, “its abominable for a political appointee of a parastatal to be seen as labour leader. Comrade Chris Okonkwo was dropped at the Ikeja distribution company during PHCN privatization came into TCN as a political appointee and also became SSEAC president General under very shady circumstances, despite being a projection of management” amongst others.
In a memo signed by the Managing Director/CEO U. G Mohammed titled, “Posting to Re:Transmission Company of Nigeria said” after serving TCN for a period of 6years, please be informed that your political posting had lapsed by 11th June, 2018 and you should have ceased from coming to work from 12th June, 2018.
Okonkwo therefore urged the Minister of Power to direct the MD not to act on, and to withdraw such letter with false premise as established.
He also appealed to minister to investigate the unfortunate action of falsifying a staff record to achieve his goal and apply necessary sanctions.
In a related development, the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) said in a statement signed by its general secretary, Abubakar Dubagari that the purported retirement was fraudulent.
“Our President General remains in TCN service whether he like it or not.
From available records, our President General (a top level electrical engineer and professional manager) has many years of service ahead in TCN and has not attained statutory 60 years of age or 35 years of service.
“That the so-called MD has been in trade dispute with our union because of his impunities and acts of incompetence hence his attempt to illegally remove our President General in retaliation, without distinguishing between a corporate entity and an individual”, the statement added.
According to him, SSAEAC remains determined to restore all that the locust (NUEE) had eaten, no matter their unholy alliances. Our lawyers have been briefed to take up all the above with security agencies and the courts.
“The general public is hereby warned of the tendencies of these shameless collaborators in crime and falsehood who are so ignorant that they do not know what can stand as true or false”, he said.
The Union therefore threatened industrial action if the MD of TCN refused to withdraw his termination letter against Okonkwo.
