South East breaking News
…Upholds his dismissal for mounting an illegal roadblock
The Senate Wednesday at plenary directed the Nigerian Navy to immediately compute and pay the salaries and allowances of his dismissed officer, Ewato Flaubert Oluwadolapo .
It however upheld dismissal of Ewato by Naval authorities for mounting illegal roadblock to serve as deterrent to other officers who might contemplate carrying out such criminal activity.
Ewato ‘s salaries as directed by the red chamber , should be paid to him from the date he returned from Absent without Official Leave (AWOL) to the date his dismissal was confirmed by the Nigerian Navy.
These resolutions of the Senate followed presentation and consideration of Report submitted to that effect by the Chairman of its Committee on Ethics , Code of Conducts and Public Petitions , Senator Neda Imasuen ( LP Edo South) .
Senator Imasuen in presenting the report said : ” The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, may recall that at its Plenary Session on Thursday, 20“ July, 2023, Distinguished Senator Abiru, M. Adetokunbo (Lagos East) in line with one of the three (3) principal roles of the legislature (Representation), rose in accordance with Order 40, Standing Orders of the Senate 2023 as amended, and drew the attention of the Senate tova: petition from one of his constituents, Mr. Ewato Flaubert Oluwadolapo against the Nigerian Navy over alleged wrongful dismissal from the services of the Nigerian Navy without fair hearing and Non Payment of His Salaries and Allowances by the Nigerian Navy; where he urged the Senate to look into the matter and direct the Nigerian Navy to reinstate him and pay all his outstanding salaries and allowances.
“Accordingly, pursuant to Order 40 Rule 3 of the Standing Orders, the Senate referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions for legislative action. The petition was referred to the Committee vide the Senate Votes and Proceedings No. 11 of Thursday, 20th July, 2023.That the summary trial of the officer conformed to the procedures spelt out in the extant regulations of the Armed Forces of Nigeria ‘(AFN) on summary trial and the dismissal of the officer was necessary to maintain service discipline and integrity of the Nigerian Navy.
“After carefully studying the presentations made by Mr. Ewato Fiaubert Oluwadolapo and the representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral SD Atakpa, the Committee observed as follows: That Mr. Ewato Flaubert Oluwadolapo was an officer of the Nigerian Navy from January, 2013 until the date his dismissal was confirmed by the Chief of Naval Staff i.e., on 16 June, 2022;
“That the ‘officer’who was serving: in the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Lugard Banda, Lokoja, ‘Kogi State, ‘committed several infractions’ ranging from Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) for over a’year; abandonment of duty post; and mounting of illegal roadblock along the’Lokoja-Abuja Road;
“That the officer was demoted from the rank of a Seaman to Ordinary Seaman after being found guilty on summary trial for being on AWOL from ist June, 2020 to 27th June, 2021 (1 year and 27 days).
“That.from.the date the. officer returned to duty on 27th June 2021, and was summarily tried and demoted in rank to Ordinary Seaman, to the date of his dismissal on 25th January, 2022, the Navy have not paid his salaries and allowances till date.
“That there was a handwritten evidence by the officer (petitioner) pleading guilty of abandoning his duty on 26th August, 2021 and mounting an illegal roadblock in a nearby village along the Lokoja —Abuja Road in order to extort money from motorists; confessing that it was because he had financial challenges.
” That the dismissal of Mr. Ewato Flaubert Oluwadolapo was not based on the AWOL he went for over a year, but as a result of the illegal roadblock he mounted which he was summarily tried and found culpable.
“That the Nigerian: Navy is owing ‘Mr. Ewato Flaubert ~ Oluwadolapo his salaries and allowances from the date he 4 “returned from AWOL i.e., 27th June, 2021 to the date his 4 . dismissal from the services of the Nigerian Navy was confirmed by 4 the Chief Naval Staff i.e. 16th June, 2022 (1 year)”.