Abuja Market Crisis: No case against Minister before industrial court- FCTA

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) has dismissed as a social media falsehood, the report suggesting that the Minister, Nyesom Wike has been dragged before the National Industrial Court over the sack of the former Managing Director of Abuja Markets Management Limited ( AMML).
It could be recalled that the AMML has been rocked by crisis long before Nyesom Wike was appointed the Minister of FCT.
However, after assuming office as a Minister, Wike had on September 27 relieved the heads of 21 parastatals, agencies and government companies of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) of their appointments with immediate effect, including AMML.
Reacting to the alleged contempt proceedings against the Minister,, the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser of AMML, Onya Nsor Ojiji said there was no extant order from the said court against the Minister, nor any staff of AMML.
A statement from the company secretary, noted that the only case pending in the National Industrial Court, which was scheduled to start afresh,has been reassigned to another judge.
“Our attention has been drawn to stories making the round in the media to the effect that the National Industrial Court has commenced contempt proceedings against the Honourable FCT Minister Bar. Nyesom Wike and others over alleged disobedience of a court order in respect of a matter surrounding the headship of Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML).
“We have been duly informed by our legal counsel and we would like to state categorically that there is no such contempt proceeding against the FCT Minister or any other AICL/AMML staff at the National Industrial Court as the suit referred to in the publications has been reassigned to another Judge and will start afresh [de novo].
“ Any contrary information with regards to this can only be a figment of the author’s imagination and should be disregarded”, the statement stated.