Angry workers at the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Monday morning shut down the Headquarters of the commission over alleged attempts to reinstate suspended Director-General, Munir Gwarzo.
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, SEC Branch, locked up offices of the commission in protest for the alleged reinstatement move by the federal government.
Kemi Adeosun, the former Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, had on November 29, 2017, suspended Gwarzo and set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate allegations of financial impropriety leveled against him.
NAN also reported that the SEC DG was accused of collecting severance package worth N104.85 million while still in service in violation of the civil service rules.
The minister said Gwarzo was suspended from office to allow for an unhindered investigation.
Gwarzo, however, in June, 2018 approached the court to challenge his suspension.
Consequently, the National Industrial Court, Abuja, on Friday, May 31, had ordered the immediate reinstatement of Mr Gwarzo.
Justice Sanusi Kado, in his judgment, held that the Minister of Finance, named as second defendant in the suit, lacked the power to suspend the claimant.
Mr Kado, who dismissed three issues raised by the defence counsel through their preliminary objection, ruled that the suit was not status-barred.
He held that since there was cause of action in the claimant’s suit, he (claimant) had the right to commence the suit by way of originating summon.
Kado further held that the issue in dispute was not about the position of the claimant as the director general of the commission, but that the bone of contention was who had the power to suspend him.
The judge held that the second defendant (Minister of Finance) did not have the power to suspend the claimant since he was not an employee of the commission.
He said that the minister, in the absence of the board, only had supervisory power, which does not include disciplinary power to suspend the director general.
Kado held that it was only the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, on the directive of the president, who had the power of suspension.
For emphasis he said, “the minister’s role was that of recommendation.”
Kado in addition said the Administrative Panel of Inquiry that indicted the claimant was not a court of law, neither was it a quasi-judicial body, but just a body set up for a fact-finding duty.
He therefore declared that the suspension of the claimant was null, void and of no effect.
