By Chioma Obinagwam
The Labour Union of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has staged a strong protest at the SEC headquarters, Abuja, to prevent the reinstatement of the suspended Director-General (DG) of the commission, Mounir Gwarzo.
Confiance News had reported that the National Industrial Court (NIC), had on Friday, May 31, 2019 discharged Gwarzo of a five-count charge filed against him.
Gwarzo was allegedly indicted for abuse of office and corruption by an Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance and headed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse.
He was also allegedly indicted by the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee, which investigated his suspension by the former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.
Mr Nelson Oleghe, the Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), SEC chapter, explained that the protest was to ensure Gwarzo was not re-instated to office.
Oleghe said, “The suspended director-general was charged to court by ICPC and the case was poorly handled by the judge and ICPC officials.
“In all of the court cases, the issue of fraud against him was not mentioned and areas pointed out by the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) were not touched by the court.
“The National Industrial Court (NIC) pronounced him free and discharged him of a five-count charge against him.
“The union was reliably informed that the suspended director-general after being pronounced free by the court wants to resume duties at the commission.
“When Gwarzo was here, there was a lot of division/crisis in the commission and the union was not allowed to thrive.
“We (Union) feel Gwarzo’s coming back will be disastrous and that is why we called out members to show their grievances.
“We will resist any attempt from any quarters to reinstate him as DG and SEC is better without him.”
The union chairman, however sad that the protest was suspended to maintain public peace, since the union has made its point.
He called on the appropriate quarters to ensure that recommendations of the SIP concerning Gwarzo were implemented.
Oleghe also added that the union, within the week would write to the Ministry of Finance, Office of the Vice President and the President to drive home the union’s demands.
Also, Mr Saliu Muhammad, a former official of the union, said that SEC, as a regulator, has a duty to ensure good corporate governance and should not relent on that.
According to Muhammad, we want fairness, we want justice and we are not in any way against Gwarzo, if only he will clear himself.
“We are the upholders of corporate governance and we stand to enforce corporate governance. We should ensure that the management here practice what they preach.
“The union is just a pressure group, we want to make our statements in that direction.
“We know the security of this organisation and we don’t embark on protest like any other organisation that is why we have suspended the protest.
“The message has been passed already by the chairman, we will resist any move to reinstate him and until those issues are cleared in a competent court of the law, we will not rest,” he said.
Earlier, it was reported that the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) had faulted the discharge and acquittal of Dr. Mournir Haliru Gwarzo, suspended Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who was standing trial, alongside a SEC commissioner, Zakwanu Garuba, at a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja for alleged mismanagement of about N115 million public funds entrusted in their care and other sundry offences bordering on corruption and has called for a probe.
Their argument is hinged on what they described as the shoddy nature with which the case was handled owing to the lack of proper presentation of the case by the ICPC investigator, Taiwo Olorunyomi.
