Report Of The House Committee On Public Petitions On The Petition By Nelly Chineye Reuben Against The Hon. Minister Of Federal Capital Territory On The Failure To Implement Her National Youth Service Corps Award Granted Her In 2011 And The Accompanying Of Automatic Employment

  1. PREAMBLE
    1.   The House of Representatives at its plenary sitting of Thursday, 22nd         February, 2018 received a petition by Hon. Segun Adekola on behalf of Nelly Chinenye Reuben against the Hon. Minister of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on the failure to implement her National Youth Service Corps award granted her in 2011 and the accompanying automatic employment.
  2.  PETITIONER’S CASE
    1.   The petitioner, Nelly Chinenye Reuben informed the Committee that she      was offered automatic employment in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) by the FCT Minister (Bala Moh’d) after her National Youth Service as a result of her outstanding performances and impacts of her community Development Projects in skill acquisition training, talent discoveries and entrepreneurship programme in five (5) communities, schools and orphanages in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
    1.   That during her service year in the House of Representative, National Assembly, she published a book titled “The Power to Actualise Your Dream” and equally designed another program titled “The Youth as an Ambassador for Peace” which she and her two (2) other corps members were presenting on African Independent Television (AIT) every Wednesday of the week throughout the duration of their service year.
    1.   That the Department of Establishment and Training in FCTA opened a file to issue her employment letter, but the file was later returned to their archives. All her efforts both in writing and personal visitation to their office to enable them release the employment letter to her proved abortive.
    1.   That she visited the office in December, 2017 to see Madam Jumai Ahmadu who is in charge of the press centre, through whom she has been passing all her mails to both the Hon. Minister and the Permanent Secretary, but none of those mails was received in the registry’s incoming file and outgoing registers.
    1.   That the same Madam Jumai told her that if eventually she is engaged, her    salary will not be more than Thirty Thousand Naira (₦30,000.00) only.
    1.   That she also wrote a letter in regard to her issue to the Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, who has also written to the Minister, copied the Permanent Secretary and Director Human Resources Management (HRM), but nothing was done till date.
    1.   That all her various correspondence could not get to the Hon. Minister and His Permanent Secretary over the years on the award of automatic employment by the Minister during the Batch “B” 2010 service Year in the Territory. Attached are Daily Trust Newspaper, Monday 1st August, 2011 (page 5) and certificate of award.
    1.   In light of the above, the petitioner prayed the House to:
  3. Prevail on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to release her letter of award of automatic employment since 2011 by the Hon. Minister.
  4. Pay up her salaries since 2011 which she supposed to have been collecting till date.
  5.   INVESTIGATIVE HEARING
    1.   The Committee conducted an Investigative Hearing on Wednesday, 23rd May, 2018 with both parties in attendance.
  6.   RESPONDENT’S CASE
    1. The Director, Human Resources Management, Hajiya Amina Abubakar who represented the Hon. Minister of FCT did not make any written submission but admitted in her oral testimonies that they are willing to release the petitioner’s letter of appointment to her without further delay. She also admitted every responsibility in respect of the delay and agreed to place the petitioner on her appropriate grade level beginning from 2011 till date.
  7.    COMMITTEE FINDINGS:
    1.   Having carefully gone through the submission of the petitioner in the petition and the Director, Human Resources Management, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Hajiya Amina Abubakar, the following observations and considerations were noted by the Committee
    1. That the Federal Capital Territory Administration gave other awardees their letter of appointment immediately as captured in Daily Trust Newspaper of Monday, 1st August, 2011 on page 57 during Batch “B” 2010 service year award by the Hon. Minister of FCT.
    1. That the petitioner was out rightly denied having access to both the Hon. Minister and His Permanent Secretary by other staff during her travail.
    1. That FCTA is willing to release the award of automatic employment letter to the petitioner placing her on the rightful grade level to be at par with other colleagues who were offered the same award by the Hon. Minister in 2011.
  8.   COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:
    1. In view of the above findings, the Committee recommends that the House should  direct the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to release the petitioner’s letter of employment in compliance with the Hon. Minister’s directive during the Batch “B” 2010 service year within Seven (7) days

N/B. That on the 30th of May, 2018 the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) issued her letter of employment through the Committee and the petitioner has collected the letter to enable her resume work on 1st of June, 2018 with proper placement on salary grade level 10step7.Attached is the photocopy of the petitioner’s offer of provisional appointment.

HON. UZOMA NKEM ABONTA                              OMALE A. ADOYI

CHAIRMAN                                                                 COMMITTEE CLERK