Case of 150 teachers institute staff stalls at industrial court

ANational Industrial Court in Abuja has adjourned till February 21 hearing in a suit filed by 150 staff of the National Teachers Institute Council (NTIC) challenging the suspension of their employment by the institute.

The staff represented by Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP), Tanimu Aliyu Magaji and Aminu Abdullahi sued the NTIC and the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun before the court over what they described as “the illegal and unlawful suspension of appointments of over 150 newly recruited staff at National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna.”

The claimants said they were recruited in April 2016 by former director-general of the institute, Dr. Aminu Ladan Sherehu but upon the assumption of duty of the new DG, Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare in August, 2016, ordered their employment be suspended without giving any reason despite numerous inquiries.

They asked the court for a declaration that the appointments conveyed and granted the 150 staff by the council are valid, genuine and subsisting.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the claimant’s counsel, Mohammed Sani informed the court that the matter was slated for hearing, however, counsel to NTIC, Barrister Yusuf Goodluck told the court that an application to regularise its defence had been filed.

The judge, Justice Sanusi Kado, however, held that the application was not ripe for hearing since it was not served on the second defendant (Minister of Finance) and thereafter adjourned the matter to allow the application to be properly served.