Information minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has ordered immediate reinstatement of a senior journalist, Yushau Shuaib five years after he was compulsorily retired as Chief Information Officer in the ministry of information by the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a letter of reinstatement signed by the Director of Human Resources Management, Lai Mohammed directed that Yushau Shuaib should be reinstated into the civil service as Chief Information Officer on GL14 with immediate effect.
The letter reads in part: “I am directed to refer to the National Industrial Court judgment dated 22nd November, 2017 on the above subject and to inform you of the Honourable Minister’s directive that you be reinstated into the civil service as Chief Information Officer, SGL14 with immediate effect. You are therefore requested to report to the undersigned for further instruction, please.”
This was even as Yushau Shuaib expressed appreciation to the minister for the decision in line with the judgment of the National Industrial Court delivered on November 22, 2017.
He however requested for the prompt settlement of his outstanding salary arrears from June 2013 when he was sacked to date.
Justice David Isele of the National Industrial Court (NIC) had ordered the immediate reinstatement of Yushau, who was until his sack, spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), into the public service after forceful retirement in 2013 over an opinion article he wrote on former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Yushau had sued the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and Federal Ministry of information over the purported retirement. James Ode Abah of Bamidele Aturu Legal Chambers handled the case for Yushau Shuaib.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Isele declared that the letter retiring Yushau from service has no force of law and is therefore illegal, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever being in flagrant violation of the civil service rules.
The judge also declared: “the premature retirement of NEMA spokesperson by the Federal Government without conducting any investigation, without giving him an opportunity to defend himself and without complying with the condition precedent for retirement is contrary to Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and therefore illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and null and void.”
The court, therefore, ordered Yushau Shuaib’s immediate to his duty post as the Chief Information Officer without any loss to seniority, salaries, position and other emoluments.
The judge ordered the Federal Government to compute and pay within 30 days all salaries, allowances and other emoluments due to Yushau Shuaib from June 2013 to the judgment date and interest at the prevailing commercial bank’s rate on his total package.
The case centered on the illegal and unlawful retirement of Yushau Shuaib over an allegation of criticizing Okonjo-Iweala, in an opinion article on lopsided appointment in the public service.
