TCN Union Alleges Misuse of N500m Fund by National Body

The lingering disagreement between senior workers in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) branch chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and their national body has taken a new dimension as the branch chapter has alleged that the national body has dipped its hands into the N500 million superannuation fund of the workers to undertake unauthorised and alien activities.

The branch chapter of the SSAEAC in a statement jointly signed by: Dairo Abidemi, branch president; Yerima Bukar Hassan, branch secretary; and Amiji Gabriel, the branch public relations officer, equally alleged that the national body was making plans to conduct an election to overthrow the current branch executives even though their tenure was not due. “The unfolding intrigues and deceptive manipulations behind the scene of the SSAEAC activities have propelled the SSAEAC branch in TCN. Arising from the failed efforts by the national body to interrupt staff promotion interview unnecessarily and mortgage the future of our members and their careers, the SSAEAC national has advanced yet another deceptive script to cause anarchy in TCN,” the statement said.

It explained that the national body filed a court suit with no: NICON/ABJ/215/2018 against both the TCN branch and the TCN management at the National Industrial Court in Abuja, adding that it should have no dealing with the members of TCN branch until judgment was passed on the case but the national body was making passes at it.

According to them, they were shocked the national body made calls for reconciliation through one of the branch’s regional branch presidents, but eventually discovered the national body had a hidden agenda to unconstitutionally conduct elections into the branch in October. “This is contrary to the provisions of the 2005 Association’s Constitution Rule 14 (vi), (ix) and Rule 15(iv) respectively. Besides, the tenure of TCN branch executives terminates in June 2019 after the SSAEAC national delegates conference expected to come up in March 2019,” it stated.

Making claims that the national body was taking from a N500 million retirement fund of the unions to fund its campaign against the branch and the TCN, the statement said: “The superannuation fund which the federal government has magnanimously commenced the liquidation with about N500, 000, 000 paid to SSAEAC is being tampered with by the present national leadership of the association.”

It explained: “The fund is being gradually diverted from the purpose of which it was meant for. Out of which, some part of the fund was used to mobilise non-members of the association to disrupt economic activities in Transmission Company of Nigeria and the federal ministry of power in August 2018, as well as creating divide and rule strategy by picking some members among the TCN branch of the association and paying over one million naira each to the loyalists.”

The statement further said the superannuation fund was the initiative of the founding fathers of SSAEAC who are now retired.