Sacked Ekiti workers protest, beg Fayemi for re-absorption

Some workers recently disengaged by the Ekiti State government for being  ‘irregular workers’, yesterday   staged a peaceful protest to appeal to Governor Kayode Fayemi to reverse  the decision.

  The Nation gathered that among the protesters were the 568 primary and secondary school teachers recruited into Teaching Service Commission (TSC) by ex-governor Ayodele Fayose. They are among the 2,000 state workers employed after the July 14, 2018 election.

The protesters stormed the Teaching Service Commission located within the State Secretariat complex at about 8.30am with their letters of appointments to show that they were legitimately hired.

The Commissioner for Information, Muyiwa Olumilua had on Wednesday revealed government’s intention to sack the 2,000 workers, and others whose recruitment exercise violated due process.

Speaking on behalf of the sacked workers, Mr. Olawole Ganiyu, said contrary to the pronouncement made by the state government that they were employed illegally, he said their appointments were in line with the civil service rule.

He said: “During the Fayose-led government, we were at home when vacancies were advertised. We paid N1000 to buy forms. We wrote examinations and sat for interview. Scores of the examinations’ results were pasted at TSC.

“Later, qualified people sat for interview and letters of appointments and posting were given to successful them. What was in our letters was that, we are to work for three months before getting salaries, but we have not been paid a dime since eight months ago.

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“Government must be passionate. We were born and brought up here in Ekiti.  Most of us have relocated to our schools and worked hard. Some of us even resigned from our previous places of work to take up these appointments.”

Another victim, Mr. Akande Adekunle , expressed sadness that they could be allowed to suffer since September 28, 2018 they were offered employments without any pay.

“We went through due process. It was a process that was legitimate. When the present government came, we expected pronouncement from the government and TSC, but they said we should be working because our employments were legitimate.

“We have to clarify that we were not sponsored by politicians. We have no godfathers and government should be a continuum. Why are we being treated this way? It was shocking that they said we didn’t pass through due process.

The Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Com Joshua Kolapo and his counterpart in Trade Union Congress (TUC), Com Sola Adigun, begged the government to rescind the decision and reabsorb the workers into the civil service.

However, a release signed by Fayemi’s Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode , said  the governor did not sack any one , saying “ you cannot sack people duly employed in the first place.”

Oyebode described the recruitment exercise carried out by Fayose as  illegal and a complete scam.

“The recruitments were obviously mischievous because it neither followed due process nor was ever completed.

“The affected persons were not duly captured in the Civil Service Structure. Apart from a letter of employment, they do not exist in the State Civil Service Nominal Roll.

“They were never captured in the state’s biometric payment system and never received any salary since the purported “appointments”.

“A proper recruitment process will begin as soon as the HoS ascertains the available vacancies in the Public Service. All Ekiti indigenes are qualified to apply, including the 2000 that were scammed by ex-Gov Fayose”, Oyebode added.