Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has sacked scores of workers in 19 parastatals, agencies and departments of government in the state, ordering that their salaries had been stopped with effect from Monday, January 4, 2016.
This followed last Wednesday’s protest in Owerri, by the Nigerian Labour Congress, headed by factional National President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Sir Jude Ejiogu, the workers involved 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, including 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.
According the state government, its action followed “a productivity audit recently conducted in the parastatals, agencies and departments.”
“Government is satisfied that it is no longer in the 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,” the statement added.
The Imo State government said that the affected workers would be communicated 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, therefore, ordered to handover all government property in their possession to their chief executives within 48 hours. However, civil servants on secondment to any of the affected parastatals and agencies should return to their parent ministries, the government said.
