Anxiety as workers shut SEC headquarters over court order reinstating Gwarzo

Business activities were on Monday morning paralysed at the headquarters of the Securities and Exchange Commission as workers shut the premises of the commission.

The workers under the umbrella body of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, SEC Branch, locked up offices of the commission over attempts to reinstate suspended SEC DG, Mounir Gwarzo

Gwarzo had been indicted for abuse of office and corruption by an Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance headed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse.

Gwarzo was also indicted by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee which investigated his suspension by the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.

The National Industrial Court had in a judgement on last week ordered his reinstatement with immediate effect.

The court also ruled that all his salaries and allowances paid to him.

In his ruling, Justice Sanusi Kado held that the Finance Minister, who is the second defendant in the suit, lacked the power to suspend Gwarzo, even as he dismissed three issues raised by defence counsel through their preliminary objection, ruling that the suit was not statute barred. Punch