Suspended Managing Director of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, Mr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, has dragged the Minister of Communications Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, before the National Industrial Court over his suspension from the company.
Others joined in the case, which came up for hearing in Abuja on Tuesday, are Chairman of Board of NigComSat Limited, Prof. Turner Isoun, and the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited.
At the hearing of the case, counsel for the defendants, S.K. Nyako and J.I. Nwabufo, filed preliminary objections, challenging the jurisdiction of the court presided over by Justice Maureen Esowe.
However, counsel for Ahmed-Rufai, Mr. Ben Alabi, said the chambers, headed by Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), had not been served with the motion of objection. The case was therefore adjourned till May 7 for the motion to be taking.
The Minister of Communications Technology had on February 14, 2014 ordered investigation into the finances of the Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited.
To pave the way for investigation into the finances of the company, the government had asked the pioneer Managing Director, Ahmed-Rufai, to proceed on compulsory an indefinite leave.
Director of Marketing at the company, Ms. Abimbola Alale, was appointed Acting Managing Director until investigation into the finances of the company was concluded.
However, in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed-Rufai contended that he was wrongly suspended, adding that his suspension was orchestrated to achieve a determined objective.
He said, “On the February 14, NigComSat won a contract of N40bn from the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide connectivity for its nationwide cashless policy for four years via 1,000 hot spots, which will also cater for internet need of about 4,000 primary and secondary schools.
“I went to Lagos to collect the letter of award and on my return on Saturday, I met an instruction from the minister dated February 14, 2014 to proceed on leave to enable her to carry forensic auditing of my financial dealings from 2010 to 2013.
“Prior to this, there was no query of financial misappropriation warranting the suspension. Thus, this was a case of indictment before investigation. As an obedient public servant, I complied but petitioned the board challenging the powers of the minister to suspend me without any query or investigation.”
He added, “Five months after I commenced leave, not a single query was issued to me nor was I invited to answer any question with respect to the findings of the illegal auditors. The assignment was stretched from two weeks to four months in order to put me perpetually out of office.
“This didn’t come cheap and the auditors were handsomely rewarded by the minister from the NigComSat account with a bill of over N70m provision, which was not in the budget of NigComSat and payment of which was a financial infraction.”
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