Re: Between a minister and a general manager
It is not in the nature of the authorities of FCT Water Board to join issues with other persons, on any matter already to in a court of competent jurisdiction. But we are compelled to set the fact straight in the wake of a malicious write-up in the Letters to the Editor section of Daily […]
It is not in the nature of the authorities of FCT Water Board to join issues with other persons, on any matter already to in a court of competent jurisdiction.
But we are compelled to set the fact straight in the wake of a malicious write-up in the Letters to the Editor section of Daily Trust, Wednesday, 1 January, 2020, and page 11. The offending write-up was titled ‘Between a Minister and a General Manager.’
To the Water Board authorities, the author of the piece dished out to the unsuspecting public grossly one-sided, prejudiced information predicated on calumny and blackmail in a desperate bid to arrive at judgmental conclusions, which amount to subjudice.
The hard facts are: That the National Industrial Court, on 12th December 2019, granted an order of interim injunction restraining the Hon. Minister, FCT (1st Defendant), FCDA (2nd Defendant), and FCT Water Board (3rd Defendant) “from carrying out any act, or serving the claimant any letter that will interfere with or undermine the claimant’s position as the GM of the 3rd defendant pending the determination of the motion on notice.”
Furthermore, in this particular matter, tagged suit No. NICN/ABJ/390/2019, the court presided over by Hon. Justice E.N. Agbakoba, also held that “in the instant case the claimant has raised issues of illegality, and gang-up and is in fear for his job, although the court has a duty to prevent illegality, the court is required to hear the other party in this instance. In this case, the order of this court is that the Defendants be put on notice accordingly. Meanwhile, parties are to maintain the status quo ante pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
Subsequently, the court adjourned the matter to 22nd January, 2020.
Now, the author of the malicious write-up in Daily Trust no doubt expects the Hon. Minister, FCT, to fling the court order into the gutter and proceed to execute the author’s illegal bidding in a democratic dispensation of rule of law!
It is trite law that, in all cases, a suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a competent court of law. Media trial, albeit one filled with blatant falsehood, is actionable in court.
The Water Board authorities are aware that an internal reorganization and personnel deployments and redeployments designed to shore up revenue base and inject new blood into service delivery, has led to some staff being disgruntled. Needless to insist, however, that only the best interest of FCT residents is being served by the shake-up.
Garba Ladan is a staff of FCTA