Rector, Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy (FCDTT), Dr. John Emaimo, has denied the allegation that he disobeyed a directive from Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) which mandated him to reabsorb into the institution the 19 workers he purportedly fired in 2018.
In a statement personally signed and issued to reporters in Abuja, Dr. Emaimo described the allegation as a fallacious attempt to assassinate his character. Earlier in the week, a national daily had reported that Emaimo not only sacked the workers in violation of the 2012 Harmonisation Act on Retirement Age of Staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education but also replaced them with his kinsmen and cronies. The report further alleged that he failed to reabsorb the workers into service nearly 10 months after the OHCSF directed him to do so. Denying the allegations, however, Emaimo explained: “In the first instance, the said Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu has never in any document been classified as a Polytechnic. “The College operated as a Division under the Federal Ministry of Health until 5th December, 2017 when the Bill establishing the College was signed into law. “The College also does not possess the power to employ or retire at will as the staff of the College are paid monthly not by the College but Integrated payroll Personnel information System (IPPIS) in the Office of Accountant General of the Federation. “The said retired staff were therefore retired by automatic stoppage of salary from IPPIS as it is applicable to all Civil Servants on IPPIS, and was done as they were due by the programmed pay system. “The College on noticing the stoppage of their salary, sought clarification from both the IPPIS office and Office of Head of Service of the Federation who then confirmed their status of stoppage by IPPIS as being in order, on that ground, the College communicated them in writing to proceed for documentation for Pension, which Fifteen (15) of them did and were paid their relocation allowance as it is done. “To my knowledge, Four (4) of them later were found to have raised complains in various quarter on their eligibility for stay in service beyond 35 years of service and 60 years of age. “As a caring institution, we took up the discussion again with IPPIS and IPPIS demanded that the College produce any document that established the college as a Polytechnic which the college does not have and the Management decided to rest off the matter because we are all aware that Government business is done on black and white. “Later on, a letter signed by a deputy Director in Office of the Head of Civil service of the Federation (OHCSF) was received requesting that the College liaised with IPPIS to reinstate the affected staff. “The College, which cannot restore the pay stoppage on their fiat, has since communicated IPPIS on the directive and awaits further necessary action from IPPIS. We have also communicated the College’s supervising Ministry – Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) for further directives on this matter. “We wish to hereby state that, the fact that the College did not retire the said staff and the allegation of personal employments are fallacious. “We remain peacefully committed to our staff and students as a caring and listening Institution.”
