Labour drags Accountant-General to Presidency over sit-tight

By Allcitynews.ng

Organised Labour under the auspices of Association of Senior Civil Servants of  Nigeria (ASCSN) has dragged the case involving Accountant-General of the Federation to Presidency.

The move is to call attention of the Presidency to direct the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, to exit the Service immediately since he was due to retire on 25th November 2020 when he attained the age of 60 years.

The Union emphasized that it has become imperative for Alhjai Idris to vacate office so as not to trigger off industrial upheaval in the entire Public Service. 

In the letter to the Presidency through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and signed by its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, the ASCSN implored the Presidency to put necessary machinery in place towards ensuring that the current Accountant-General of the Federatrion, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, exits the Service since he was due for retirement on 25 November 2020 when he turned 60 years old. 

The Union informed the Presidency that “going by the report reaching the National Secretariat of the Association, Alhaji Idris is not in any way prepared to leave office on the due date of 25th November, 2020 when he became exactly sixty (60) years of age” in order to give opportunity to one of the over 200 qualified Directors in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation who will be selected, after necessary interview, to occupy that post so as to restore faith in the system and boost the morale of civil servants.

According to the letter quoting Public Service Rule 020810: “The compulsory retirement age for all grades in the Service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier.”

“No officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier.”

The ASCSN expressed optimism that given the pedigree of the Head of Service, the Presidency would urgently intervene in the matter so that the Service could be saved from possible industrial crisis that may result if Alhaji Idris continued to refuse to leave office.

It called on civil society groups, patriotic Nigerians, religious groups, royal fathers, etc, to prevail on the Presidency to order Alhaji Idris to proceed on retirement and not wait until the Union embarked on industrial actions only for them to start to appeal to its leaders to call off the strike.

Further checks revealed that Alhaji Idris who is now claiming not to be a civil servant because he wants to cling to the post of Accountant-General of the Federation, worked at the defunct Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ministry of Mines and Steel Development before he was appointed the Accountant-General of the Federation by President Muhammadu Buhari out of three Directors sent to him for approval.

The statement  by ASCSN Secretary General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, noted that because Alhaji Idris is aware of his status as a civil servant, on 7th October 2020 he wrote to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation informing him that he (Idris) will be sixty (60) years of age on 25th November 2020 and “obediently seek for SGF’s guidance and clarification” but the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation knowing full well the dangerous game Alhaji Idris was trying to play decided to keep watch without saying saying anything.

The argument that Alhaji Idris is a political appointee is spurious and delusional. He is a Civil Servant who has turned 60 years and should therefore leave the Service immediately. The Union also noted that the letter appointing Alhaji Idris for a period of four (4) years is without prejudice to the provisions of the Public Service Rule (PSR) on exit date of Officers from service.