The Government of Ogun State in South West Nigeria has taken a swipe at the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) over its petition to the United Nations Rapporteurs on sacked education officials of the state.
In a press statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, the Ogun State government accused SERAP of jumping the gun and crying more than the bereaved.
“Had SERAP examined and understood the facts that led to the decisions of the Ogun State Civil Service Commission, it would have appreciated they were not even remotely connected with the constitutionally-guaranteed rights to freedom of thought, conscience and expression or academic freedom, which formed the kernel of its petition to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs,” the statement read.
“To Be Well Guided”
The State government wondered if SERAP had studied the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in relation to disciplinary control over civil servants.
“Had SERAP looked before leaping, it would have realised that by virtue of Paragraph 2, Part II, Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, could not have played any role in the disciplinary measures against the workers,” Adeoluwa said.
The State government quoted the paragraph as saying that ” (1) The Commission shall have power without prejudice to the powers vested in the Governor and the State Judicial Service Commission to; appoint persons to offices in the State civil service; dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding such offices.
“(20) The Commission shall not exercise any of its powers under sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph in respect of such offices of heads of divisions of Ministries or of departments of the Government of the State as may from time to time be designated by an order made by the Governor except after consultation with the Head of the Civil Service of the State.
The government further advised the civil society group to approach the Ogun State Civil Service Commission for relevant information in order “to be well guided”.
