NPA To Dismiss Eight Staff Over Certificate Irregularities, Exam Malpractice

By Roland Ekama

 

 

There are palpable tension that the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) may dismiss some workers under its employ following some irregularities in the recent promotional examination exercise.

 

Findings revealed that eight junior cadre workers of agency have been penciled down for sack over irregularities in their certificates presented to the agency during recruitment, even as it was gathered that the affected workers are mostly from the eastern ports.

 

One of the victims in Calabar office of the agency, was said to have hired a machinery to help write his promotion examination during the last exercise.

 

According to an insider source who does not want his name in print but highly placed in the agency, said management had constituted a committee to look into the matter.

 

He stated further that the committee involved in the cases would release its reports to the management to pass the final verdict on the affected workers.

 

According to our impeccable source, the committee put in place by management include the NPA branch executives of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, a General Manager from one of the departments, among others.

 

Though our source declined to disclose names of the workers affected in the scandal, he noted that the issues can be managed properly and effectively if the investigation team performs its duty diligently within the time frame.

 

The committee has also met to resolve the issue but affirmed that management may come down on them for outright dismissal without any form of benefit or compensation due to the gravity of their offences.

 

He added that the outcome of the investigation might further determine if some of them will sack with gratuities attached as some of the benefits.

 

When contacted on Thursday, for response, General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA Engineer Alex Jatto denied knowledge on dismissal of workers ,adding that “Am not aware of any move to sack or dismiss some workers of NPA as a result of examination malpractice or certificate forgery.

 

He further queried to know when the action was taken by management of the agency to sack some workers, saying “I don’t know anything of such here”.