Woman dismissed from work for marrying a driver (Page 6)

Following the dismissal of a female officer with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mrs. Udeoji Tochukwu who got married to a driver, the Senate Committee on Public Petitions is to commence investigation into the circumstances surrounding her sack owing to her new status.

The probe was as a result of a petition to the Senate by Mrs. Tochukwu in which she alleged that she was sacked from her commissioned job on account of the fact of her falling in love with a driver with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which later resulted into marriage and subsequent child birth.

The petition which was routed through Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia) further stated that Mrs. Udeoji had a clean record of service before her dismissal from the NDLEA.
Before her sack, her husband, Mr. Osondu Enwereuzor, a driver with the NDDC, according to the petitioner, was subjected to investigation over criminal and drugs related matters and was given a clean bill of health.

According to Mrs. Tochukwu, “My husband was investigated by the NDLEA when I gave notice of marriage and he was found to be clean yet the agency went ahead to dismiss me because I got married to somebody of junior rank even when we do not work in the same organisation.”
She, therefore, alleged that her sack was based purely on “gender discrimination” and against her right as enshrined in chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

Having presented the petition to the Senate Thursday, President of the Senate David Mark directed the Senate Committee on Public Petitions to as a matter of urgency commence full investigations into the circumstances with a view to erasing the possibility of miscarriage of justice.
The petitioner who stated that she was a member of Course7ASN of the NDLEA, said she was employed by the agency in May 2001 while she was dismissed from the NDLEA on April 13, 2006 because she got married to a man who works as a driver with the NDDC.

In a letter dated April 13, 2006 to Mrs. Tochukwu by the NDLEA conveying her termination of appointment the NDLEA accused her of committing what it described as “unapproved single parentage,” which it noted is contrary to paragraph 12.8(i) schedule1, part X of NDLEA regulations 2001(as amended).

The letter signed by the assistant director, central admin on behalf of the chairman/chief executive, refused to comment on her notice/application for marriage which led to the investigation on her husband and clearance duly issued.

However, Mrs. Tochukwu said that while she was aware of the NDLEA rule which forbids senior officers from getting married to their juniors, the fact remains that her husband is not a staff of the NDLEA.
“I did not get married to somebody in the same organization, my husband works with Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) while I work with NDLEA. The fact that my termination letter reads unapproved single parentage is misconceived or rather borne out of malice with a view to wrongfully terminate my appointment,” Mrs. Tochukwu noted

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/dec/21/national-21-12-2009-00-004.htm

Na waoo, so na them be the witch wei dey behind her not getting married all this while, which can useless law be dat, woman no go marry person wei e like again, even if dem dey thesame organization so what! rubbish that cheap archaic, antiquated, outdated constitution must be looked into and ammended appropriately. So Obsolete, its so annoying.