Former Spokesman of National Emergency Management Authority Yushua Shuaib has been compulsorily retired over a purported article written by him that was adjudged to have put the minister of Finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala in bad light.
Shuaibu who had worked in the civil service for more than 20 years alleged in a letter obtained by Nigeria Politics Online claimed that Finance minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had threatened that she would ensure he was sack from the civil service for wrongfully accusing her in an article.
He further alleged that the minister started dealing with him gradually before his humiliated sack from the civil service which takes effect from today.
He claimed that “In the course of these past months, my salary was suddenly stopped without any official notification to that effect. I had been summoned, issued letters of queries and confronted with verbal threats in the vain hope that I would retract the write-up and tender an apology. Of course, I stood my grounds in the same way that I had politely declined the minister’s request during the telephone conversation”.
Shuaib also disclosed in the letter that his insistence not to retract his position has contained in the purported article eventually culminated in his compulsory retirement from service, he claimed that the termination letter stated that he was eased out of the system for criticizing a “public officer”.
His words; “On Thursday October 3, 2013, I received a letter of retirement from the Federal Civil Service, which was backdated to June 20, 2013. Though the letter erroneously referred to me as Assistant Chief Information Officer (ACIO) (because as of fact, I had been promoted a Chief Information Officer (CIO) with effect from January 1, 2012), it contained the charge that I was retired for criticising a public officer”.
He however expressed gratitude to the previous employers which included states and the federal government for given him the opportunity to contribute to the development of the country in his own little.
Shuaib stressed that if he had taken the advice of his colleagues to retract or conceal the truths he revealed on the Finance Minister, he would had kept his job but said he turned the advice because he didn’t want to betrayed his conscience.
“I understand the weaknesses inherent in the public service but must express tremendous appreciation for the concern and understanding displayed by some officers in the public service and top members of the Federal Civil Service Commission. For personal reasons, I declined to accede to their friendly advice that I should take certain actions that might enable me keep my job in the service but which I believe would assail my conscience”, he said
Yishau Shuaib started his civil service career in October 1993, exactly 20 years ago. He reportedly received the Best Writer and Researcher Award while serving as a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Delta State.
It was gathered that his impressive writings and research efforts made the then governor of Delta State Olorogun Felix Ibru offered him automatic employment in the Government House, Asaba as Public Relations Officer in the state Civil Service.
A few months later, another double award of automatic scholarship and NYSC National Honours Award was announced for him by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Luckily for him, the honour by the Federal Government also went with an offer of automatic employment in the federal civil service that was not subject to either federal character principle or space availability.
Ever since, he had served at different levels in various organisations as either Press Secretary or Head of Public Relations. Some of those organisations include Federal Ministries of Information, Finance, Health, National Assembly, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), National Press Centre and finally National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
