Senate decides on petition by sacked Naval Officer
The Senate on Wednesday dismissed a petition by a sacked Naval Officer seeking reinstatement for lack of merit.
The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions that investigated the matter.
Mr. Ewato Flaubert Oluwadolapo petitioned the Senate over alleged wrongful dismissal from the services of the Nigerian Navy in 2022 allegedly without fair hearing and non-payment of his salaries and allowances by the Nigerian Navy.
Oluwadolapo urged the Senate to look into the matter and direct the Nigerian Navy to reinstate him and pay all his outstanding salaries and allowances.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Neda Imasuen (LP – Edo South) in his report, observed 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 16th 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;
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“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 1st June, 2020 to 27th June, 2021 (1 year and 27 days);
“That there was a handwritten evidence by the officer (petitioner, allegedly) 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 (allegedly) 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.”
The Committee’s recommendation the Senate should dismiss the petition for lacking in merit was approved by the Senate when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.:
