….Issues Tinubu 30-Day Legal Notice To Reverse Action
An Abuja based Legal Practitioner, Barrister Maduabuchi Idam, has issued a 30-day pre-action notice to President Bola Tinubu asking him to “reverse the illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional re-appointment of Dr. Vincent Isegbe as Director-General of Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service.”
The notice dated March 20 and addressed to the President was equally copied to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice (AGF), Minister of Agriculture and Food Security and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS).
The lawyer, in a letter to Mr President expressed his disenchantment against the cheerless news of Dr. Vincent Isegbe’s re-appointment as the Director-General (DG) of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to serve for a fresh term of five years in the NAQS after exiting the office following the expiration of his tenure as DG.
He noted that the law being unambiguous under the Public Service Rules, a public servant has either thirty-five (35) years to spend in service or he retires upon attainment of sixty (60) years of age, whichever comes first.
He observed that in satisfaction of the Rules, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, who was born on 26th March 1961 (according to information on the public space), retired on the 26th day of March 2021 but however continued to occupy the NAQS Director General office till 13th of December 2023 when he eventually bowed out after the completion of his term as DG, thereby necessitating the appointment of the most senior ranking officer who was so appointed by the Minister in line with the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Establishment Act (hereinafter after described as “the Act”), to head the agency as DG in acting capacity.
“Howbeit, bearing in mind the combined effect of the Public Service Rules and the relevant sections of the Act, I daresay that from the 26th of March 2021, being the period Dr. Isegbe ceased to be in service as a result of his retirement, he ought to have exited the service. Nevertheless, he was asked to vacate the office on the 13th of December 2023 when his tenure as DG expired. Hence, the next most senior in rank was duly appointed in accordance with the Act”, he said.
He also observed that “upon his retirement on 26th March 2021, Dr. Isegbe ceased to be both an officer and or high-ranking officer in the service and accordingly, he ultimately exited the office in 13th December 2023, following the expiration of his tenure as DG which necessitated the appointment of the next in rank to occupy the office albeit in acting capacity as provided by Section 10 (5) of the Act.
He described the re-appointment as certainly not a good example of an administration that chants ‘renewed hope,’ because the hope of the teeming junior officers in NAQS who have invested their years expecting to grow to the highest position would have been truncated if Dr. Vincent Isegbe’s re-appointment is allowed to stand.
He stated: “TAKE NOTICE that thirty (30) days is hereby given within which to reverse the appointment. However, in the event of your failure to reverse Dr. Vincent Isegbe’s re-appointment within thirty (30) days, I and other patriotic Nigerians shall be constrained to approach the court to question the legality or otherwise of the aforesaid appointment.”
