The Nigerian Senate has declined approval for the dismissal of an employee from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
On Tuesday, the Senate instructed the Corporation to reinstate Engr. Aniekan Paddy Ukpe, a former District Engineer, whose employment was terminated in March 2023.
The Senate also mandated that the former District Engineer receive all due entitlements, emphasizing that there was no evidence connecting him to the vandalism of railway tracks within his area of responsibility.
Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, brought this issue to the Senate’s attention.
The matter arose from a report submitted by the senator, which was based on a petition from the Engineer, claiming wrongful termination of his employment by the Corporation.
In his petition, Engr. Ukpe stated that he served as the Senior Civil Engineer overseeing the North Central District, which includes Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa states.
He recounted being informed of a vandalism incident involving railway tracks on September 19, 2022, at Kamuru Station in Zonkwa, Kaduna State.
Upon receiving this information, the Engineer reported the incident verbally to the District Manager and filed a formal complaint with the police.
This action resulted in the arrest and prosecution of the offenders, two of whom received two-year prison sentences.
Ukpe’s petition indicated that rather than receiving praise from the District Manager, he was accused of underreporting the incident.
Consequently, the District Manager issued him a query and referred the case to an investigative committee.
He contended that the conclusions reached by the committee were prejudiced and tainted by inconsistencies, resulting in his termination without a sufficient chance to present his defence.
The NRC, through its Managing Director, Engr. (Dr.) F.E. Okhiria, defended the decision to terminate his employment, attributing it to a failure to fulfill his responsibilities.
The NRC asserted that Engr. Ukpe failed to inform his superiors about the incident promptly and exhibited a lack of urgency in addressing the situation.
The corporation maintained that his conduct was in violation of the Railway General Rules of 1964, justifying his dismissal.