Corruption accusations and leadership crisis are apparently rocking the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch (FCSPB) of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP).
While the FCSPB chairman, Comrade Sunday Omezi, recently accused its mother union, NUP, of refusing to remit an entitled checkoff dues totaling N200 million to his Branch’s coffers, some members of the same branch have refuted the claims.
The group, Concerned Federal Civil Service Pensioners Stakeholders, under the leadership of Alhaji Ahmed Lawal and Chief Ignatius Godsfrey Uzormah, have accused the Omezi-led leadership of mismanagement of their Branch’s funds, and further expressed displeasure over the accusation of NUP withholding the said money. from FCSPB. They went on to say that Omezi’s tenure of office has expired, hence, has no right to demand or receive funds on behalf of the Branch.
“Comrade Sunday Omezi is full of heresy and fallacy. He laboured hard to tarnish the good name of the Nigeria Union of pensioners (NUP) in order to score cheap points. For this reason, we are compelled to make this rejoinder in order to clear the ground on his effort to misinform the public and to put the records straight,” the group said.
It went on to say, “Please, be informed that Mr Sunday Omezi is no longer the National Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners as he claimed. His tenure of office has expired since July 17, 2022. He is therefore an impostor by claiming to be the National Chairman.
“The Nigeria Union of Pensioners cannot therefore continue to pay the monthly dues to the defunct EXCO led by Comrade Sunday Omezi having expended his tenure of office. While we are prepared to hold an election in July 2022, the same Comrade Sunday Omezi and his team took the NUP to court to obtain an injunction against the holding of the election after he and his team collected N9.6 million to conduct the said election.
“As we speak today, the matter is still pending at the National Industrial Court (NIC), Abuja. How then do you adjudicate over a matter that is pending in court?
“His action is therefore an affront on our collective sensibilities as members of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners Branch and an affront on the institution of judiciary. Comrade Sunday Omezi should stop parading himself as the National Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Branch henceforth, until a new election is held to fill the vacant positions or he should be charged for contempt of court.”
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Concerning FCSPB funds, the leadership of the group said, “Stakeholders request Comrade Sunday Omezi to account for the total sum of N38.9 million being the arrears of consequential adjustment windfall which up till today, he has been unable to do so.
“Also, the total sum of N256 million has been given to Comrade Sunday Omezi’s team by NUP as accumulated check-off dues since 2018 till date, of which he has failed to account for. This is against Rule 28(h) of NUP’s constitution on stewardship accountability.”
They further said, “The issue of N200 million he mentioned in his address, this money is not his personal money, it belongs to all Federal Civil Service Branch. However, the matter is before the National Industrial Court which was initiated by Omezi and his team as plaintiffs. It is therefore prejudicial for Comrade Sunday Omezi to bring this matter to the public domain at this point in time.”
