The Chairman of South South Forum of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Comrade Bolum Martin Nwachukwu, has eulogized the Nigeria Police for its professionalism and perseverance in handling the recent invasion and attempted takeover of its Association’s National Secretary in Lagos.
Speaking in a press conference in Asaba on Tuesday, Comrade Nwachukwu said, “We understand the importance of people’s access to the ASCSN secretariats, so we are working closely with the police and our oversight committees to ensure security of lives and properties of all members of the association irrespective of different interests. All we are saying is, ‘no to holiganism, gangsterism, invasion and destructions of the association’s properties’. As Senior Civil Servants we are custodian of civil service and must live by example.’
“On behalf of the South South Forum of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), I wish to give our deepest gratitude for the hard work of the Nigeria Police in safeguarding the Association National Secretariat Lagos that was invaded by unscrupulous element posing to be aggrieved factional members of the association.
“The police have shown to the world the highest professionalism and the greatest perseverance over this cumbersome struggle rarely happens in Nigerian labour. We honor all the officers who, against all odds that braced up to protect association members who were in the secretariat complex.
“We say no to politics of invasion. There is need for all members to cue in the unflinching honesty of the association’s leadership struggles to consolidate a broad and durable labour union.
“The national leadership of ASCSN under Dr. Tommy Etim Okon, is both a trenchant critique of abuse of public funds and office with a constructive blueprint for the course the association urgently needs to make.
“Within a year of his initial stint as National President of ASCSN, Dr Okon has earned a reputation as a hard-charging leader.
“The association’s discipline is very elastic on it members. We don’t behave like loose cannons, derailing from civil service roles; pushing the association to the brink of an incendiary conflict and trumping up sponsored agitation against well constitutionally constituted leadership.
“In our determination to preserve ASCSN, we want to reteriate that our avowed confidence on Dr. Tommy Etim Okon leadership of ASCSN remains ironclad.
It would be recalled that the national secretariat located in Yaba was sealed off by police penultimate week as hired thugs invaded the premises with various charms and other dangerous weapons.
The ASCSN secretary-general, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, had told journalists that aggrieved expelled members led by the former President Comrade Bola-Audu Innocent with some aggrieved members tried to force their ways into the secretariat before it was sealed by the police.
The police have on Monday, unsealed the headquarters after calming the situation.
