N14bn allegation: ASCSN 53 unit leaders express vote of confidence on Tommy Etim Okon, Bashir Lawal leadership  

 

 

By allcitynews.ng

 

Following the allegations of embezzlement of N14bn levelled against the leadership of civil service union under the aegis: Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) by aggrieved members of the union, 53 unit leaders have debunked the claim as mere allegation meant to tarnish image of the union.

ASCSN President, Comrade (Dr) Okon, with Secretary General, Comrade Bashir Lawal  during a press briefing for LAWAN

Just as in their solidarity and support, they vowed to defend the current leadership with their strengths because of his good leadership roles which is making the union to have befitting ultra modern centre.

 

The labour leaders who dismissed the allegation as ridiculous wondered how such amount could have been accumulated since its registration when the association had various bills among other things, salary commitments, hosting of meetings of CWC, NEC, delegates conferences, auditor’s fees, statutory rebates to organs of the union including branches, chapters and units, seminar grants, payment of rent in respect of the union’s offices nationwide, settlement of terminal entitlements of staff, training and retraining of members both at home and abroad, coupled with other things to settle.

They also posited that the claim that the union’s property housing its National Secretariat in Lagos and the building under construction in Abuja had been sold was false allegation.

These clarifications became imperative based on the move by some aggrieved members who have been doing all within his means to tarnish the image of the current leadership of the union, Comrade (Dr) Tommy Etim Okon and the Secretary General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal.

The in-house cold war among the civil service union and some aggrieved members has been trying to shake the union,  while some satisfied civil servants  vowed to resist attempts by few disgruntled elements to destroy the union.

 

The  attampt by some people among the union caused most members of the union to reappraise the current leadership of Comrade (Dr) Tommy Etim Okon and the Secretary General, Alade Bashir Lawal, saying “we have confidence in our leaders.”

 

Moreover, they demanded to know from the aggrieved members, how they arrived at the said N14 billion in a society where harsh economic downturn is facing many sectors of the economy.

Expressing satisfaction over the good leadership roles of Okon, they declared their readiness to fight against anything or persons that would tear the union apart.

Their solidarity support for Okon leadership came to fore during the mass meeting in Abuja on Thursday 31st March 2022, by the chairman of all the units of the association in all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Abuja.

Declaring war against the aggrieved members that are bent on derailing ASCSN the only Association that is representing interest of workers in civil service, they promised to defend the union and the current leadership.

Their solidarity support came to peak when they saw the ongoing work in their ultra modern national secretariat complex of the Association. Expressing their joy at the level of the work done so far, they reiterated their confidence in the Okon and Bashir Lawal leadership.

Furthermore, while citing the ongoing project as one of the reasons for giving their solidarity support for the leadership of Okon and Bashir Lawal, they wondered how many organisations, both in the public and private sectors of the economy could undertake such a massive building project without getting grants or obtaining loans from banks and other financial institutions and added that no union in Nigeria either dead or alive has ever come near this kind of monumental achievement.

The units chairmen at the end of their deliberations in Abuja and signed by the 53 units chairmen, they condemned in strong terms malicious publications by some of the aggrieved members to rubbish the image of the Association and its leaders.

“The meeting, therefore, urged the leadership of the Association to take appropriate actions against those behind the online publication of falsehood against the Union and its Leadership.

“The meeting also urged the leadership of the Association to expel any other member or staff of the union who is found to be relating directly or indirectly with those bent on destroying the Association and bringing its leaders to disrepute”.

 

This one of the reasons why they vowed to stand by the current leadership and  commended them for this current building project which is comprising a conference centre, guest house, offices and shops now at the fifth floor of construction and sprawling on about 12 plots of land at Mabushi area of the Federal Capital Territory, commended the national leadership of the association for the prudent management of the union’s resources.

 

These 53 members signed the solidarity and support for the current leadership: