Court fixes Dec. 18 to hear N100m suit filed against CCECC by worker

The National Industrial Court on Monday fixed Dec. 18 , for
definite hearing of pending applications in a suit filed by a staff
of the CCECC, Mr Godspower Ntaka, seeking N100 million in
damages.

Ntaka is claiming the amount for alleged emotional trauma,
psychological anxiety, mental stress and discriminatory treatment
arising from his ordeal in the hands of armed robbers during
official duty.

Anuwe adjourned the matter until Dec.18 for definite hearing
after the court was notified by a letter from the defendant’
counsel.

The judge noted that the defendant counsel sent in a letter
dated 25/10/19 saying that Mr Oluleye Delano ,SAN who is to defend
this case took ill and would be unable to attend court.

The judge had at the last sitting on Oct. 7 fixed the Oct. 28
after the court was informed about a preliminary objection from the
defendant.

Any we in addition ordered accelerated hearing of the case.

Anuwe also directed Mr Cornelius Nwapi, claimant counsel to
reply on point of law to the preliminary objection.

The defence counsel, Mr Ahmed Oyegbami in the objection said the
claimant, Ntaka instituted the suit without necessary compliance
with the preliminary steps in the agreement on Terms and Conditions
for junior employees in the building and civil engineering sector
in Nigeria as provided by NJIC.

He said that Article 9 specifically was on procedures for
settling grievances, which stated that an aggrieved employee must
first report to his supervisor, head of department, management,
branch union and finally state union office, before seeking redress
in court.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the claimant (Nkata)
in his statement of facts filed on March 27, stated that he was
attacked by armed robbers on Aug. 25, 2012 while on an official
errand as a security supervisor.

He said he was in company of two other workers, Mr Emeka Amadi,
the company’s chief security officer and Mr Bennett Kalu, a driver
in the company too.

He said that Kalu was discovered to have been killed by the
robbers after he (claimant) and Amadi reported to the police and in
company of the police returned to the scene of the robbery.

The claimant said thereupon, the police took him and Amadi to
the Special Anti robbery Squad (SARS ) where he was detained from
Aug. 29, 2012 until Oct. 11, 2012.

He said that it took the services of a private lawyer who filed
for the enforcement of his fundamental right at an FCT High Court
before he was released from SARS.

The claimant said he was then charged to court and was in prison
custody from May 2013 until September 2018 when he was discharged
and acquitted.

He averred that his ordeal was a result of an official errand he
was sent to do by the company and that the company abandoned
him.

The company, he said, stopped his salary while in prison custody
and took no steps either to defend him or offer any succour.

He said that after his discharge and acquittal, the company has
not taken any step to rehabilitate him and pay compensation.

He therefore seeks the court‘s declaration that he was still a
staff of the company and entitled to all the rights, privileges and
benefits due to him by reason of his employment.

The claimant is equally seeking for the order of the court to
direct the company to pay all his outstanding salaries, benefits
and entitlement since 2014.

In addition, he is asking for the sum of N100 million as damages
for the abandonment, emotional trauma and psychological anxiety,
discriminatory treatment, loss of opportunity to further his
education, inconvenience and hardship among others. (NAN )

NCWS, NPHCDA Partner on Routine Immunisation in
Nigeria

The National Council for Women Societies, NCWS, has partnered
with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHDA,
with a view to improving on the ongoing Routine Immunization in the
country.

PRNigeria^[1] reports that NCWS is
working with PAS under PACFaH@Scale, a social accountability
project which aims to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian Civil
Society Organisations, CSOs, at national and state level to hold
decision-makers in the country.

The PACFaH@Scale project is funded by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation and anchored by the development, Research and
Project Centre, dRPC.

Speaking during a courtesy visit at NPHCDA headquarters, Abuja
on Monday, the National President of the NCWS, Dr. Gloria
Laraba-Shoda, stressed the need for the partnership, considering
some challenges hindering the successes of the Routine Immunization
in the country.

She said: ”We are imploring on the NPHCDA to embrace and
accommodate us, as an important accountability network. We are in
the process of developing a scorecard for Routine Immunization
performance and will appreciate it if you also assist us in setting
a list of indicators for the scorecard and other technical
support.

“We also need inclusion into the central Routine Immunization
system in the National Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination
Centre (NERICC),” Mrs Laraba-Shoda added.

Responding, the NPHCDA’s Executive-Director, Dr. Shuaib Faisal,
commended the women society for the visit, pledging to do
everything possible to assist the association in its quest to stamp
out polio in the country.

He said: “As far as I am concerned, we are partners in progress.
We have had a long history of collaboration with the NCWS, from
Polio Eradication to Family Planning and so on.”

By PRNigeria^[2]