NCC's flawed retirement rules spark legal concerns

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) faces scrutiny over its application of Public Service Rules, particularly concerning the retirement of directors. Recent actions saw directors with eight years of service being compelled to retire, based on a government circular that mandates retirement after such a period. This directive has been in place since the Yar'Adua administration.

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My daughter can go shopping now, I can only wait.

While many organizations have either strictly implemented this circular or found ways to circumvent it using alternative titles like General Manager, the NCC's approach has been notably swift. This has led to the early retirement of directors, some of whom are described as young and capable. The controversy intensified with a video clip from a recent send-off party for a retired NCC director. During his speech, the director claimed to have served a total of 39 years in civil service.

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Daughter's schedule with her classmates

His extended service was reportedly possible because he did not spend the full eight years in the Director position at the NCC. Furthermore, the NCC allegedly ignored significant portions of his prior service in other capacities when calculating the mandatory 35 years of service stipulated in the conditions of service. The commission appears to have exclusively counted time spent working within the NCC, or from the period of National Youth Service (NYSC) or university graduation, rather than the total years of employment after obtaining qualifications like OND, NCE, or even secondary school certificates before 1991.

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Time passes so quickly

This selective calculation method potentially disadvantages employees who began their careers in teaching or clerical roles after completing secondary education or diploma programs. The article suggests this issue might be systemic within the civil service. If individuals have worked beyond the 35-year service limit or the age of 60 due to incorrect calculations, their tenure could be deemed illegal. This could invalidate documents they signed and lead to legal challenges against the government. The new Head of Service, Abel Olumuyiwa, and his staff are urged to comprehensively address these service-wide issues to prevent widespread litigation.

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Shopping, something I don't understand, but I understand waiting