Civil servants dismissed seek intervention from Tinubu and Akpabio in reinstatement dispute.

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

Several federal civil servants who claim they were dismissed unlawfully from the Federal Ministries of Environment and Works have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly for intervention in a long‑standing reinstatement dispute.

The group has also urged Civil Society Organisations, labour unions, and the broader Nigerian public to pressure the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to enforce a Senate resolution that directs the recall and redeployment of the affected officers to their ministries.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja on Sunday, Joy Eseoghene, one of the dismissed staff, described the hardships her colleagues and she have endured since their 2022 termination.

She said that meeting basic needs such as food, rent, school fees and medical bills has forced them to sell personal property, including a phone and other valuables, to survive.

“We have followed the proper channels to seek justice; the National Assembly has investigated the matter, and both the 9th and the current 10th Assemblies have ruled in our favour,” she said. “Yet, despite numerous letters and correspondence from higher authorities, the commission has blatantly refused to obey the National Assembly’s ruling and other superior authorities to reinstate us.”

“We do not know where else to go. If the commission, a product of an Act of Parliament, cannot respect the National Assembly, that means it is now bigger than Nigeria,” she added. “This illegal termination has caused us so much pain and hardship; we are calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in this matter and give us renewed hope.”

She also appealed to Senate President Sen. Godswill Akpabio to defend the authority of the Senate and prevent any undermining of the institution under his watch. “Very Dark Man, Ordinary President Ahmed Issah of Berekete Family, Labour Unions, social media influencers, human rights activists, please come to our help; we do not have one but we Nigerians and deserve to earn a living,” she said.

Eseoghene noted that the Senate, in its December 10 2025 Votes and Proceedings, resolved that the commission should reinstate the eight affected civil servants and post them back to their respective ministries to resume work. The resolution also directed the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to ensure the reinstatement and posting of the officers.

The affected officers are listed as Dangla Bitrus, Attahiru Enagi, Patrick Ikechukwu, Ukueku Oghenetega, Opara Adaoma, Opara Chukwuemeka, and Oloriegbe Inamud.

The resolution followed a petition by Throneroom Attorneys, headed by Mr. John Iyafokhai, on behalf of the affected officers, filed on March 13 2024. The Senate referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petition for investigation and recommendations.

In response, the committee, on May 7 2024, summoned the FCSC chairman under its powers as enshrined in Sections 62, 88 and 89 of the Constitution. The Head of Service of the Federation, the Ministers of Environment and Works, and former FCSC Director of Recruitment Mr. Ibrahim El‑Yakubu were also summoned.

Officials were asked to appear for a public hearing, which took place in Senate Meeting Room 120 on Tuesday May 21 2024, Wednesday July 11 2024 and Wednesday November 27 2024.

“The investigation conducted by the committee showed that we, the petitioners, were duly employed by the FCSC with duly signed appointment letters by the Director of Recruitment and Appointment at FCSC,” she said. “The outcome of the investigation also showed that our names were published in the official gazette and that we sat for the compulsory 2020/2022 Confirmation/Promotion Examination (COMPRO) conducted by OHCSF.”

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the committee chairman, Sen. Neda Imasuen (APC‑Edo), presented the panel’s report with three unambiguous recommendations. “The Senate urges the FCSC and the Office of the OHCSF to reinstate all eight dismissed officers, namely: Joy Eseoghene, Dangla Elisha Bitrus, Attahiru Mohammed Enagi, Ani Patrick Ikechukwu, Ukueku Oghenetega, Opara Sylvia Adaoma, Opara Anthony Chukwuemeka, and Oloriegbe Charles Inamudu, and post them back to their respective ministries to resume work.”

“The Senate also urges the Chairman of the FCSC and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to unfreeze all the salary accounts of the officers and pay their arrears of salaries and entitlements from the date of their dismissal to date.”

“The Senate directs the Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure that the FCSC chairman and the OHCSF comply with the Senate Resolutions on this matter,” she added.

After consideration of the report, the recommendations were adopted by the Senate as recorded in the December 10 2025 Votes and Proceedings of the upper chamber. Following the resolution, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, on January 29 2026, wrote to the FCSC chairman to convey the Senate’s resolution, which was acknowledged on February 3 2026.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Compliance, Sen. Garba Maidoki (APC‑Kebbi), wrote to the FCSC chairman on December 16 2025, January 21 2026 and February 25 2026 to ensure compliance, but to no avail.

“The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, in a letter dated March 29 2026, directed the FCSC to comply with the Senate resolutions, but that has not been done.”

“The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), in a letter dated May 14 2026, signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr. Ibrahim Kana, also directed the commission to take the necessary action as directed by the Senate, but that has not been done,” she said.

Eseoghene recalled that the 9th House of Representatives, led by the then Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, also received the same petition on November 21 2022. The petition was referred to the House Committee on Public Petitions, and the investigation was concluded on March 23 2023 in favour of the petitioners. The then committee chairman, Rep. Jerry Alagbaoso, presented the report on the floor of the 9th House of Reps, as reflected in the Vote and Proceedings of Tuesday, June 6 2023.

However, the house could not ensure implementation before the end of the 9th National Assembly; hence the need to present the petition to the 10th Senate.

Eseoghene urged all Nigerians to support the dismissed officers so they can return to work and feed their families.

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