Indications emerged weekend of crisis brewing between the federal government and labour union over who has the responsibility to collect stamp duties charge.
The alleged stripping of NIPOST of the responsibility to collect stamp duties charges has not gone down well with Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies, SSASCGOC, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, that has viewed the development as a usurpation of its statutory duty by another agency of government.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, on the sidelines of the SSASCGOC elections, the union’s immediate past National President, Mohammad Yunusa, said the federal government has already been dragged to court over the matter.
‘You can’t take the statutory function of NIPOST and give to another agency in the disguise of Finance Act, we can’t accept it.
Yunusa, who is the National Treasurer of the TUC, vowed that his union would do everything possible in its rights to ensure the moves by the government to privatise the Nigerian Communications Satellites were not achieved.
He argued that the agency would go into extinction immediately after its privatisation.
”The Federal Government is trying to interfere in the Nigerian Communications Satellites (NigComSat). Although, to a great extent, we have settled that matter but they have not entirely removed their hands.
”Government is thinking of privatising that organisation with the excuse that they are not generating enough revenue. But we are saying No!
”Once you privatise that organisation, especially with insecurity in Nigeria, all manners of bandits and insurgents will take over that place because the people you’re privatising to, only God knows what they would do with that enterprise after you have privatised it to them.
”To some extent, Government has listened to us, but we can still see some signs that they have not removed their hands entirely,” he said.
Meanwhile the union has elected new national officers to pilot its affairs.
After a keenly contested elections, Alakija Kayode Surajudeen, emerged as the new President General, while Suleman Aminu was elected the deputy President.
Other officers elected include, Benjamin Olaka 1st Vice President, Francisca Abiodun Adedayo, 2nd Vice President, Mukthar Adikwu, National Treasurer, Samuel Ajakaye, Internal Auditor, Ogechi Jacintha James, National Public Relations Officer, and three Trustees, Ajayi Lateef, Yewande and Jandubril Isah
