The House of Representatives has ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to reinstate two former employees whose dismissals were found to have violated due process.
The lawmakers said the move was aimed at correcting administrative injustices and upholding the rule of law.
This followed the adoption of reports presented by the House Committee on Public Petitions, chaired by the member representing Demsa/Numan/Lamurde Federal Constituency of Adamawa State, Bitrus Kwamoti.
One of the beneficiaries of the resolutions is Inspector Fidelis Uti of the Nigeria Police Force, whose salaries were withheld for years following his dismissal from service.
Uti had petitioned the House of Representatives on February 28, 2024, seeking intervention over what he described as an unlawful termination of his appointment and the stoppage of his salaries.
The petition was subsequently referred to the Committee on Public Petitions for investigation.
Following what lawmakers described as an exhaustive inquiry into the matter, the committee submitted recommendations which were adopted by the House during plenary last week.
A copy of the report obtained by Sunday contained four key recommendations aimed at redressing the officer’s grievances and preventing similar occurrences in the future.
The House urged the NPF “to immediately reinstate the petitioner (Inspector Uti) into service, as his dismissal was unlawful, having been predicated on a repealed law and in violation of his constitutional right to fair hearing.”
Lawmakers also directed the police authorities “to compute and pay all outstanding salaries, allowances, and entitlements due to the petitioner from April 2016 to date, in line with the principle that wages are due for services rendered.”
In addition, the House directed the NPF to “conduct an internal review of the administrative lapses that led to this injustice and take appropriate disciplinary action against officers found culpable.”
It further urged the Force to “strengthen its personnel and payroll management systems to prevent recurrence, ensuring compliance with the IPPIS framework and extant laws.”
The resolution represents a significant victory for the officer, whose salary was reportedly withheld for about five years between 2013 and 2018, and highlights growing legislative scrutiny of personnel management practices within public institutions.
In a related development, the House also ordered the reinstatement of Mr Akinwale Tayo, a former Chief Administrative Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, after finding that his dismissal was unlawful.
According to the report of the Committee on Public Petitions, “The dismissal of Mr Tayo by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria is hereby set aside for being unlawful, unconstitutional, and a nullity.”
The House consequently directed that NAHCON should immediately “reinstate the petitioner to his position as Chief Administrative Officer without loss of seniority.
“Pay all outstanding salaries, allowances, and entitlements (both onshore and offshore) due to the petitioner from the date of dismissal to the date of reinstatement
“Ensure that Mr Tayo is not subjected to any form of victimisation, harassment, or discrimination in the course of his duties.”
The committee also urged the commission to “review and strengthen its disciplinary procedures to ensure strict compliance with due process, transparency, and fairness in line with its Staff Handbook and constitutional provisions.”
The reinstatement order comes against the backdrop of a long-running controversy surrounding Tayo’s participation in the 2023 Oyo State governorship election as the Labour Party candidate.
Prior to his dismissal, a coalition of civil society organisations had criticised NAHCON for allegedly failing to sanction Tayo despite claims that he contested the election without first resigning his appointment, contrary to provisions of the Public Service Rules and the Electoral Act 2022.
The criticism intensified after a group of concerned NAHCON staff petitioned the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, accusing Tayo of violating civil service regulations and presidential directives.
In a petition dated April 28, 2023, the staff alleged that Tayo failed to resign from public service before contesting the governorship election, an action they described as a flagrant breach of extant rules governing public officers seeking elective positions.
The controversy eventually led to his dismissal by the commission.
However, Tayo challenged the action, petitioning the House of Representatives and arguing that his removal from office amounted to wrongful termination.