Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Friday said that no genuine staff of the state public service was sacked by his government.
Fayemi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olayinka Oyebode, explained that he was only correcting the fundamental error of his predecessor, Mr Ayo Fayose.
“Fayemi never sacked anyone. You cannot sack people who are not duly employed in the first place.
“The so called “recruitments” carried out were obviously mischievous because it neither followed due process nor was it ever completed
“For instance, the affected persons were not duly captured in the Civil Service Structure.
“Apart from a letter of “employment purportedly given them, they do not exist in the state civil service nominal pay roll.
“Besides, they were never captured in the state’s Biometric Payment System and never received any salary since the purported “appointments” since October 2018.
“You can imagine 2,000 applicants who did not know the offices or jobs they were being employed for. An application form that did not indicate the position each applicant was vying for.
“So, this means they were arbitrarily assigned to jobs after an unprofessional “interview” process.
“How logical is it for a government that was owing 9 months salary /pension to add to wage bill?
“The Local Government Service Commission and others saw through the scam and refused to issue phoney letters to purported “employees.”
“Public notices and announcements of warning were issued to the public by the incoming administration then, that a government that had less than 45 days to leave office should not engage in a theatre of the absurd, but the affected job seekers ignored the caveat.
“The said application fee of N1,000 paid by each of then were paid to fraudsters and not into government account.
“A genuine government recruitment application fee will be paid into TSA, and not private accounts.
“A proper recruitment process will begin as soon as the Head of Service ascertains the available vacancies in the Public Service, in line with the directive of the governor.
“All Ekiti indigenes, including those 2,000 persons whose illegal appointments were cancelled are qualified to apply,” he said.
The organised labour in the state, however, said that they would intervene in the plight of the workers who are victims of the past government appointments.
The state Chairmen of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Joshua Kolapo, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Sola Adigun, said everything would be done to persuade goverment to backdown.
“We know ordinarily that what we are out to fight for, is not a right. It is just to persuade and beg, at least in the interest of innocent job seekers and their dependants.
“We will let government know that the newly recruited staff are not in any way at fault. We will also let them know that two wrongs do not not make a right, especially when you consider the high rate of unemployment in town and the desperation that accompanies such circumstances.
“Gov Fayemi is our father and we know he will take kindly to our pleas by kindly considering many factors, especially the dependants of the affected workers and let them be.
“Yes, the past government may have committed error which we all understand, that is not to say the doors are automatically shut against us to beg him on their behalf so that he can have a change of heart,” the leaders said. (NAN)