The former head of the script room in the Western Africa Exam Council (WAEC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Sandra Nimi Harry, has lost its attempt that its dismissal of the position will be revolted and reinstated.
The Senate, Thursday, rejected its appeal and confirmed its dismissal.
Harry, who served for 31 years from July 1992 to July 2023, was dismissed by WAEC for allegedly “Scripts of response of smuggling exams of candidates who were not present during the examination of the private candidates of WAEC in the envelopes of genuine candidates who sat and wrote the exam in Port Harcourt.”
Three committees established by WAEC to investigate the matter, according to the Senate, found it already two other guilty accomplices and, consequently, recommended their dismissal.
However, Harry had requested the Senate, claiming “unjustified dismissal” and urging the Senate to intervene asking WAEC to restore it and pay all their outstanding salaries and assignments.
The Committee of the Senate of Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which reviewed his request, established that the dismissed officer committed the law, after admitting to the committee of being the head of the script room and having two other employees.
In his testimony before the committee, Harry denied any irregularity, claiming that he was not accused by his colleagues during Waec's investigation.
The committee, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, had recommended the Senate that his dismissal was reduced to retirement, in consideration of the 31 years he had put into service.
He recommended that reduced punishment allows him to receive his retirement benefits instead of losing the 31 years of service.
However, the Senate rejected the committee recommendation claiming that the investigation had confirmed that the crime took place.
Several senators, commenting on the committee's report, indicated that the Senate would push their image by recommending that an officer who admitted a crime should be forgiven with a minor punishment.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, for example, said that although he had spent his life defending the rights of workers, in the case of Harry, he supported the Senate's decision to reject the committee's recommendation.
The president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, observed that the Senate would establish a “dangerous” precedent by converting the punishment for retirement.
“Are we now suggesting that once people turn up to 31 years in service, are they free to commit a crime and get yours?
“It is the decision of the Senate who highlights the dismissal. Then, the petitioner, Harry, stands out,” Akpabio ruled.
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