The Osun State Government under the leadership of Governor Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, has announced its intention to sack some workers in the state over an alleged breach of the State’s civil service rules and regulations.
A statement by the state’s Head of Service, Festus Oyebade, that the Governor has approved the disengagement of workers with forged certificates among other infractions.
A part of the statement read, “Due to paucity of fund in the state and the attendant huge wage bill of public servant between 2013 and 2015, the imidiate past administration in the state engaged the leadership of the labour movement in the state on the way forward.
Thereafter a staff audit committee was inaugurated to carry out staff audit with a view to ensuring that the public service was rid of ghost workers”.
“Thereafter the state engaged the services of captain consulting firm to carry out certificate verification exercise of all public servant in year 2015. The firm submitted its report and it was accepted and approved for implementation by the immediate past administration.
“However, when the new administration came on board in November 2018 the leadership of the organized labour movement in the state appealed passionatly to the government to have a rethink on the implementation of the report.
“After much pressure from the labour movement, the governor approved the Constitution of a 5-member committee to further examine the report and make appropriate recommendation in line with extant public service rules and regulations.
“The committe having critically examined the report of the consultant recommended that some pulic officers who were earlier indicted by the report especially those in the union cader be left off the hook in view of peculiar administrative exigencies which the Governor graciously approved.
“Cases of some officers were reviewed and such officers were recommended for demotion, while other officers whose cases could not be glossed over be cause of its grave nature on the public service were recommended and subsequentlly approved by the state government to be relieved of their appointment to serve as deterrent to others.
“Consequently, agencies of government through their various boards and Commissions have been directed to implement forthwith the aspect of the report as it affect their services.
“Copies of the report have been dispatched to the appropriate Commissions, boards, councils and management for immediate implementation.”
The state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress noted that the initial report alleged that about 5000 civil servants were involved but when the report was reviewed only 422 were culpable and their case was beyond intervention due to the rules of the service.
“We were able to intercede for them to ensure that they were not sued for criminal charges or even refund the money they earn during their stay with government”. “We were involved in the process from the beginning and that was the reason we insisted that the report and recommendations be reviewed”, he added.
The state government had between 2013 and 2015 eganged a private organisation to conduct staff audit during which different levels of infractions were discovered.
