Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha has announced the sacking of about 5,000 civil servants from 19 parastatals and agencies who are yet to reach their retirement.
This is the second time the governor would be sacking civil servants in the state after he had in June 2011 sacked 10,000 workers recruited by the administration of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim.
The sack followed an angry demonstration by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), rejecting the threat by the governor to sack the workers, who were joined by the national leadership of the congress.
In a statement signed by secretary to the government of Imo State, Sir Jude Ejiogu and widely aired on the state owned radio station, Orient FM, Okorocha said the affected workers would lose their jobs without salaries starting from January 4.
According to him, the reason behind the sack followed the months of probe that showed that the workers were not contributing any meaningful thing to the growth of the state.
According to a statement by the Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Sir Jude Ejiogu, the workers caught in the sack-web include the Imo Water Corporation, Imo Cattle Market, Imo Sports Council, Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission, ENTRACO, Imo Marketing Company, Imo Consumer Protection Council, Hospital Management Board, and its headquarters staff.
Others are Imo Tourism Board, Imo Blue Lake of Treasure, Imo State Investment Promotion Agency, Imo Job Centre, Imo Water Development Agency, IWADA, Imo Library Board, Imo Agricultural Loans Board, Imo Livestock, Imo Poverty Alleviation Agency, Imo Palm Plantation, Agricultural Development Programme, ADP and Small Holders Unit.
Government explained that the action followed what it called “a productivity audit recently conducted in the parastatals, agencies and departments.”
The statement added that “Government is satisfied that it is no longer in public interest to keep running these agencies, parastatals and departments with huge cost on public revenue and no services to the public, under the present economic realities.”
Government promised that the affected workers would be communicated to in due course, about the administration’s next line of action regarding possible re-engagement, after the on-going concessioning exercise affecting the agencies, departments and parastatals.
The affected staff were ordered to handover all government property in their possession to their chief executives within 48 hours, while civil servants on secondment to any of the affected agencies, parastatals and agencies, were deployed to their parent ministries.