Executive Secretary Denies Allegation
By Amos Aar
A forum of workers in Benue under the aegis of ‘Save Benue Workers Movement’ has raised alarm over alleged threat and intimidation against them by the Executive Secretary, Benue State Teaching Service Board (TSB), Makurdi, Dr Frank Kyungun, following a demand for their rights and entitlements.
Some members of Save Benue Workers Movement who pleaded anonymity for fear of victimisation told National Record that the group is not an illegal association as perceived by some government functionaries but a pressure group comprising all workers and pensioners in the state. The forum also said it is non-partisan and non-independent of unions operating under the umbrellas of NLC and TUC.
Those who spoke to our correspondent expressed readiness to defend a letter they wrote on 22nd November, 2021 that led to the alleged threat and intimidation by Executive Secretary of TSB if invited officially by TSB or the government to do so.
They also said that the same letter that caused the alleged punitive transfer of the convener of the forum to a rural school was addressed to labour leaders and not TSB or government. “It was not an attempt to attack the government,” one of the members told National Record.
Multiple members of the group accused mainstream labour leaders in the state of siding the government and are therefore not representing the interest of the members in demanding for workers’ rights, arrears of salary and pension, hence their decision to form the pressure group to rally round Mr Titus Tyoande who was the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Tilley Gyado College, Makurdi chapter said to be the only person who stood by the truth.
The group described the transfer of Mr Tyoande to Government Secondary School, Anwase, in Kwande LGA from Makurdi, the state capital, as a punishment, pointing out that they were intimidated by the TSB Executive Secretary not to say anything when he invited them over the November 22nd letter.
Asked why they referred to Mr Titus Tyoande’s transfer as a punishment, the members who were about eight in number said traditionally, transfers are not done for just one person. “When it [transfer] is to be done, it has to be massive. Again, when a senior staff is transferred to a new school, government pays for what they called hotel allowance for 28 days while Titus was not paid for 7 months, neither was he given his hotel allowance,” a member told our correspondent.
Others alleged that Tyoande’s transfer was the second punitive transfer after Mr Joseph Aende who was Dean at the same Tilley Gyado College, Makurdi. They described GSS Anwase as punishment ground because the school is located on the border area exposed to herdsmen militia attacks and there are no social amenities.
The forum defined their mission in a document accessed by National Record dated 18th October, 2021. It reads: “The Save Benue Workers Movement is borne out of genuine zeal to revive, resuscitate, rejuvenate and restore the dignity, welfare and standard living condition Benue workers enjoyed in the past.
“The key demands of the movement are: Payment of 2017 salary arrears of 5 months for state workers and 10 months for primary school teachers/local government workers.
“Implementation of ₦30,000 new minimum wage.
“Stoppage of Pension deduction as well as Benue State Health Insurance Scheme (currently in formative state).
“The State Health Insurance Scheme should also be optional as done by the National Health Insurance Scheme.
“Full implementation of promotion of primary school teachers and local government workers.
“Timely implementation of promotion and full payment of promotion arrears to promoted staff.
“Payment of 68 months’ pension arrears for senior citizens (pensioners) as most of our colleagues are on the verge of becoming retirees.
“Restoration of leave bonus for Benue workers.
“Restoration of first 28 days.
“Payment of 6 months’ death benefits”.
A copy of the November 22nd letter to the state’s leadership of organised labour, also obtained by National Record, entitled “Now or Never,” reads:
“We write to commend the Benue State NLC for the 21-day ultimatum given to the state government to either pay workers and Pensioners outstanding salaries and pension or face Industrial action. We also commend the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for mounting pressure on the state government to immediately pay workers and pensioners their entitlements and stop deduction of PENCOM.
“It is our considered opinion that this action is long overdue but now that it has been taken, it is better late than never.
“This forum (see attached) however urges the leadership of the state chapter of the NLC, TUC to remain resolute and stick to their guns in pursuit of these workers and Pensioners entitlements this time. If this is not done now, labour would find itself in an awkward position, pressing a new incoming Government in 2023 to settle these entitlements more so, as the alleged failure of this respect of previous Governments in the state is being used to justify non-payment of workers’ salaries, pensions and gratuities. It is now or never.
“We members of this forum wish to express and affirm our unflagging support and commitment to all actions directed to the payment of all workers’ entitlements and the restoration of the dignity of workers and pensioners in the state.
“You should therefore count on our support for the fight ahead but we will absolutely oppose and mobilise action against any attempt to betray the teeming workers and pensioners who have been pauperised and turned to beggars in the state.”
Executive Secretary of TSB responds
Reacting to the allegation, the TSB Executive Secretary, Dr Frank Kyungun, in an interview with National Record debunked all the claims as captured verbatim below:
National Record (NR): There is a movement called Save Workers and Pensioners Movement with its membership drawn from pensioners, active TSB teachers and the entire civil servants. They have alleged that the convener of that movement was punitively transferred to a secondary school in an interior place that was not safe because he is suspected to have led them in the demand for payment of their 7 months’ salary arrears. What is your take on that?
Dr Kyungun: When you talk about union in an organisation, it’s a recognised union. Here at TSB, we recognise two unions: Association of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS). These are the two associations that we have and if staff are pressing on their demand, I think they should go to those two unions.
It’s not for anyone or group to go and create another union to attack the government. This is a civil service organisation guided by rules and the rules recognise only two associations and if staff are to press home their demands, I think they should go through those unions. So for somebody to create another union and start threatening government, if you are the TSB Executive Secretary or Governor, would you accept it?
Anyway, I didn’t take advantage of anybody. When I got the letter, I called all the staff that were concerned. They were 29 in number and majority of them were teachers and I directed that all of them be invited for meeting with me so that I would advise them as their father. All of them came except their leader. He refused to come and that was insubordination; number one, and he lied that I arranged with DSS to arrest him.
What he did was that he went and collaborated with a staff and they wrote a damaging letter and shared it on Facebook. He said that I invited him here and arranged with DSS to arrest him so he is under DSS and he refused to come here (TSB office) because he knew what he did was wrong and illegal. So when others came, I advised that this civil service work is guided by rules and regulations, don’t press your demand outside a union that is not recognised. If you do, you are antagonising the government.
I told them that if they have any problem, they should write it down and get to us through union leaders and see how we will respond. All of them agreed, I didn’t transfer any of them. That dubious man did dubious things. One, he collected all their signatories and told them that it was not because of salary press home, he told them that those they deducted their two thousand naira (N2,000) each, should sign and after signing, he went and wrote another thing and attached to it. That’s how they came to testify, all of them said that they never knew it was because of this thing that this man collected their names.
I called him but he refused to come and I sent a message to the principal and he refused to come again and I said if he did not come the next day, I would give him query and set an investigative panel and send him to DSS because he lied against the DSS and the board. I have disciplinary actions, I cannot handover my staff to DSS or to any law enforcement agency; for what?
I sent the message to the principal the following day again but he refused to come and he went on to write rubbish on Facebook. So, I told the principal that if he didn’t come, I was going to stop his salary. When he came, he started begging and lying down here that he was sorry. So it was not, it is not that I punished him, the transfer was just a routine.
NR: Did the transfer happen after the incident?
Dr Kyungun: Of course, the transfer happened after the incident, but it was not victimisation. If it was, I would have transferred all of them. But it was because of his insubordination, lying and criminality, cajoling the staff and writing what they don’t know. I just wanted him to go there so that we would set a disciplinary committee that will investigate him very well.
So we are still investigating him but we don’t want him to stay close so that he will adulterate others, that’s why we excused him, it’s a normal thing, not punishment. He should stay there while we invite him for an investigative panel.
