Following a garnishee order by the National Industrial Court, Adamawa state Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri now submit to reinstate over 600 school teachers he sacked in 2014, when he was acting governor after impeaching Gov. Murtala Nyako.
It could be recalled that 600 teachers out of the 2000 sacked workers being refers as ‘’ Batch D’’ sued the Adamawa state government over the purported premature retirement/ sack in 2014.
In compliance with the court order, Governor Fintiri directed the commissioner for education to immediately reinstate batch D1.
A statement by Mr Atenka John, Information Officer of the ministry read as thus: ‘’ His Excellency the Executive Governor of Adamawa State Rt Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has directed the Hon. Commissioner of Education and Human Capital Development Hon. (Mrs) Wilbina Jackson to immediately invite Batch D1 Teachers for screening and absorption.
‘’In the light of the above, the public are hereby informed that the Six Hundred and Fifty Nine (659) Claimants under the Batch DI Recruitment exercise are hereby invited for screening and verification, they are to come along with the following documents: I. Original copy of letter of temporary appointments. II. All relevant Credentials III. Reporting letter from the posted school.
‘’The screening exercise will start on Monday 9th March 2020 by 9:00 am at the Conference Hall Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Yola,’’ it stated.
Some workers protesting in Yola
The Newshawk recalls how the court issued a garnishee order on the account of the state government on failure to obey the judgment of the court.
The National Industrial Court, issued a garnishee order on bank accounts of Adamawa state government, to pay over 3000 workers sacked in 2014.
Garnishee proceeding is a judicial enforcement of monetary judgment whereby money belonging to a judgment debtor, in the possession of a third party, usually a bank, is seized by a judgment creditor.
The motion which sought to garnishee the Zenith Bank account of Adamawa state government was granted by the industrial court after a prolong battle with the state government in court.
The judge, having granted the application, adjourned the matter to enable the two banks to show because why the money of the judgment debtor with them should not be used to pay the judgment creditor.
The Newshawk also recalls that the court ordered the state government to pay over 2000 workers in 2014 all their entitlement.
The court also declared: “The premature sacking of the workers in 2014 by the Adamawa state Government without conducting any investigation, without giving them an opportunity to defend themselves and without complying with the condition precedent for sacking is contrary to Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and therefore illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and null and void.”
The court, therefore, ordered the workers immediately to their duty post without any loss to seniority, salaries, position, and other emoluments.
The judge orders the state Government to compute and pay within 30 days all salaries, allowances and other emoluments due to the workers from June 2014 to the judgment date.
Reporters learned that over 900 hundred million belonging to the state government in one of the new generation banks is being ‘’ seized’’ due to the garnishee order.
