The Kwande Brotherhood, KB, a Socio-Political Association Of The Kwande Inter-mediate Area Of Benue State, has demised as false the allegations that the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) Barr. Pius Ukeyima Akutah, sacked 13 employees of the Council who are of Tiv origins.
It described the allegations as false and a smear campaign to tarnish the reputation of Akutah.
In a statement signed by National Co-ordinator and National Secretary, Comrade Robert Moze and Hon. Justine Tyover Agande, the group clarified that the affected 13 employees were sacked based on the orders of the National Assembly that the employment opposed the federal Character principles.
The group accused the former NSC boss, Emmanuel Jime of sponsoring the false narrative through his stooge Madaki.
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It urged the sponsors of the allegations to desist or will be exposed.
The statement reads below.
“Reports have surfaced in the media of allegations by certain elements that the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) Barr. Pius Ukeyima Akutah, has sacked 13 employees of the Council who are of Tiv origins.
“The allegations portray that the 13 staff were sacked unlawfully and for the reason that their employment was given by Barr. Akutah’s immediate predecessor, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime, who is not on favourable terms with his successor.
“Kwande Brotherhood (KB) concerned over the matter undertook due diligence investigations on it and is in possession of facts which show that the allegations are false and the handiwork of smear campaigners doing a hatchet job to besmirch the hard earned reputation of Barr. Akutah.
“The facts which are open to public checks and verification reveal the following salient points to note:
“1. Those allegations are coming from quarters and individuals with known links and sympathetic to Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime who is known to have taken his sack at NSC and subsequent replacement with Barr. Akutah so bitterly that he had made an open show and scandal of it.
“Those pro Jime elements executing the hatchet job against Barr. Akutah are led by one Barr. Gwaza Madaki who is an Aide of Rt. Hon. Jime, and goes by the Facebook alias of Ibn Madaki.
“2. Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime had started a staff recruitment process at NSC, but was removed from office before the due process attending the exercise could be completed. However, seeking to push through with the exercise by all means, he had gone ahead and hurriedly issued letters of appointment to 13 staff of Tiv ethnic extraction.
“Consequently there arose protestations over the conduct of the outgoing ES/CEO by the Staff Union at the Council who petitioned to the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy overseeing NSC, alleging that the appointments so given were far in excess of the numbers duly approved, and they were all given to persons of a single ethnic group, the Tiv, in negation of Federal Character requirements for equity and balance in the recruitment process.
“3. On assumption of duty as ES/CEO at NSC, Barr. Pius Akutah had sought to use his good offices to seek an amicable in-house resolution to the imbroglio with the Staff Union who, however, refused to budge from their position that the exercise be cancelled. By this time the Staff Union had also taken their petition to the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission.
“The fact that Barr. Akutah is of Tiv extraction did not help, but rather weakened, his quest for an internal solution to the crisis, with an outcome of having the concerned staff retain their appointments. Eventually, the relevant oversight committees of the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission all ordered a probe of the said recruitment exercise. Duly a probe committee was set up and mandated to look into the grievances of the Staff Union as contained in their petition, and at the end of its work turned in a report recommending outright cancellation of the recruitment exercise.
“4. The National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission ordered that the report of the probe committee be implemented and the recruitment of the 13 staff was accordingly cancelled on the grounds that it did not conform with the requirements of due process, equity and balance in its conduct.
“5. A fresh recruitment exercise was conducted by the Council under Barr. Akutah as ES/CEO who secured the privilege for all the 13 staff so affected to participate, but they all declined doing so and rather resorted to court action challenging the termination of their appointments.
“Kwande Brotherhood (KB) is in possession of documentary evidence buttressing the above stated facts, but is restrained from doing so primarily for the reason that the matter, being the subject of ongoing litigation, is sub-judice. We are also mindful that the image of the Tiv nation which is at stake should not be dragged too far over the matter.
“As a Socio-Political group which has as part of its cardinal objective to protect the reputation and social assets of Kwande sons and daughters, we will not watch idly while an obviously nihilist ploy unfolds against Barr. Akutah who is by all means an illustrious son and prime asset of Kwande.
Read: Akutah not responsible for sack of 13 Tiv employees at Shippers’ Council – Kwande Brotherhood
“KB urges the nihilists to desist from their cheap ploy against Barr. Akutah as its emptiness and fakery is obvious even to the blind. But should they insist on continuing on their evil course, we will be left with no choice but to expose their sponsors and the details of their sordid machinations.”