Northern alliance petitions National Assembly, demands reinstatement

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions has commenced fresh scrutiny into the controversy surrounding the leadership of the Equipment Leasing Registration Authority (ELRA).

This is just as the Northern Alliance Committee (NAC) alleged in a petition to the federal parliament that the removal of the agencys former Acting Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Saidu Njidda was illegal, arbitrary, and executed without adherence to public service rules. 

At an investigative hearing chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, the leaders of the Northern Alliance, led by Prof. Ibrahim A. Madugu, alleged that Njidda, who previously served as Executive Chairman and Acting CEO, was unceremoniously and unlawfully eased out of office without any formal communication or due process as required for the exit of a public officer.

Madugu, who appeared before the committee with the former ELRA helmsman as directed during the previous sitting, recalled that a petition earlier presented through Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, had detailed what the group described as grave injustice in the manner Njidda was removed. 

According to him, Njidda, a fellow of several professional bodies and a former director of NAC for the North-East, was appointed in line with the ELRA Act and was expected to oversee the agency pending the amendment of the enabling law. 

His removal, he insisted, violated multiple public service regulations, including the Code of Conduct Bureau Act and the Pension Reform Act.

Madugu maintained that without a formal disengagement letter, a CEO could not be said to have exited public service lawfully. 

He argued that as a public officer, one must comply with the Code of Conduct Bureau, Pension Act, and other regulations, adding that if there was no official communication at the point of exit, it becomes a serious problem for the individual. 

He also faulted the alleged appointment of a new Registrar as the substantive CEO without observing Public Service Rule 170201, insisting that the rule was blatantly violated. 

Quoting President Bola Tinubus recent remarks at a conference of judges, he said that when there is no integrity, the reforms of government cannot stand.

Madugu told the committee that the NAC was urging the reinstatement of Njidda as Acting CEO pending the amendment of the ELRA Act and called for strict adherence to Section 8(a) of the Act in future appointments. 

He argued that mistakes or omissions by supervising ministries should not be converted to punishment for an officer who merely obeyed lawful directives.

In a spirited defence, the representative of ELRA at the Committee hearing, Mr. Oluwasogo Adeuja, told the panel that the board under which Njidda served was dissolved on 19 June 2023, by a circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. 

All subsequent activities of the dissolved board, he argued, were rendered invalid. He said the Attorney-General of the Federation had issued a legal opinion reinforcing this position, while a new board was inaugurated only in October 2024, after which President Bola Tinubu appointed a new Registrar.

Adeuja also disclosed that an audit by the Auditor-General had revealed that Njidda allegedly paid some money to himself while in office. 

He said a demand notice for a refund had already been issued to the former chairman, adding that the power to appoint and remove agency heads, including the ELRA Registrar or CEO, resides exclusively with the President. 

According to him, once the board was dissolved, its subsequent actions became null and void.

Representatives of the Northern Alliance, insisted that their group approached the Senate only after efforts to secure an audience with the executive proved unsuccessful. 

They said their request was for fairness and for due process to be followed, not an attempt to usurp presidential authority. 

They urged the committee to intervene, arguing that the removal of their member was not only unjust but damaging to professional integrity.

In his closing remarks, the Chairman of the committee commended all parties for their calm disposition, particularly Engr. Njidda, who remained composed despite heated submissions. 

The committee resolved to write to the Minister of Finance to convene a meeting of all stakeholders for an internal resolution of the dispute. 

It adjourned the matter for one month, during which the parties are expected to explore reconciliation and report back to the Senate.

The chairman warned that if the internal resolution fails, the committee would reconvene and undertake a full review of the dispute in line with its constitutional oversight responsibilities.

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