Ex- NNPC staff protests alleged wrongful termination

A staff of Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mr. Emmanuel Kantiok, has protested the termination of his appointment.

Kantiok with the identity card No 13594 was a staff of Pipeline and Products Marketing Company Limited, a subsidiary of NNPC, when the Managing Director of the subsidiary in July 1994 personally issued him termination letter, that his services was no longer required.

But the Civil Societies Coalition for Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance (COTAGG) told newsmen that all efforts their client had made for the organisation to revisit his termination hit brick wall as his letters were not even replied.

According to the CSO in a statement to newsmen in Awka, the Anambra State capital, signed by the Co-coordinator, Sir Michael Opia (KSJI) and the staff Attorney, Charles Nweke, they contended that in accordance with the relevant conditions of service, their client was entitled to be paid terminal benefits including gratuity, pension and any contribution he made to the Provident Fund scheme, which has been denied him till date.

They argued that the reason for his dismissal was unclear, but it might have been connected with an alleged incident that he never participated in, irregular/ illegal loading of PMS on February 1994, which Kantiok was cleared of any wrong doing and resumed duties.
Kantiok had joined NNPC from the Industries Corporation of Nigeria, where he had worked for a period of 17 years, before transferring his service for NNPC/PPMC from October 6, 1987.

Kantiok as at the time of his termination had served PPMC for a period of seven years, during which period he was nominated in 1997 for NNPC long service award which he was duly given and received the benefit attached.

That his name appeared in long service merit of 1997, when his appointment had already been terminated is another unexplained phenomenon surrounding his termination,” CO TTAG said.

They argued that in accordance with section 15.2 (c) of the condition of service, “the proper thing to do if our client’s service was no longer required is to retire him and not termination.

Consequently, they said given the fact that they had written to all the concerned authorities on this matter in their letter dated March 31, 2017, which no reply was received, the authorities was given 14 days from this publication to invite their client for settlement or they will embark on further constitutional steps to restore the rights of their clients.