THE
Higher National Diploma (HND) holders in public service have filed a
motion before the National Industrial Court, Abuja, challenging their
discrimination in career progression in public service.
Hearing
in the matter was, last Friday stalled, following an application
seeking an extension of time to file a reply by A.K. Kamar, who appeared
for the Head of Service of the Federation, saying his office was not
aware that the matter would hold on that day.
The
president of the National Industrial Court, Justice Babatunde Adejumo,
who presided over the matter, then ordered the defence counsel to
regularise their replies and file same before the next adjourned date,
September 18.
The
originating summons brought by Garba Bello, Babatunde Samuel, Jubril
Kadiri, Christiana Owolabi, Chuba Umechukwu and Fatima Ahmed, on behalf
of members of the association, also listed the National Council on
Establishments and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as
defendants.
The
claimants want the court to make an order directing the defendants to
implement the directives of the government’s white paper on the report
of the Presidential Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments in the
Public Sector.
Speaking
after the hearing, president of Nigerian Association of Technologists
in Engineering (NATE), Leo Okereke, explained that all the Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have continued to discriminate against
HND holders in the public service. He wondered the fate of thousands of
graduates and undergraduates of polytechnics in the country.
In
his averment, Garba Bello said that President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004
and 2005 embarked on public sector reform and constituted a committee
to address the disparity in the public service.
He
added that a white paper committee was set up in 2007 for the
consolidation of emoluments and in 2008, an implementation committee was
also set up.
He
maintained that despite these “recommendations and conclusions, the
applicants and other holders of the HND certificates are still being
discriminated against and still suffer at various work places.”
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