Gov Alia sacks Benue civil servants recruited by Ortom
The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has ordered the immediate termination of all State Civil Service positions created by the previous administration within the past year.
The Governor’s directive, which was contained in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, on Wednesday in Makurdi, also ordered the reversal of all promotions to the rank of Permanent Secretary made by the previous administration beginning in January 2023, directing that all those affected return to their former positions.
Read Also:Â Corps member mistakenly paid N330,000 instead of N33,000 as allawee
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the firing of the civil servants as illegal. insensitive and indifferent.
In his statement, the Governor stated, “All recent appointments to the State Civil Service made by the previous administration since May 2022 are hereby revoked with immediate effect.
“Those who have retired but have not yet vacated their offices or duty posts due to an extension or a contract appointment must retire immediately.” All Civil Service employees who are eligible for retirement but have not yet submitted their letters of retirement or notice of retirement should do so immediately and begin their retirement immediately.
“All Civil Servants and/or individuals appointed Permanent Secretaries as of January 2023 should immediately return to their previous positions.”
Also Read:Â 33-year-old nigerian Teacher remanded, Details shocking
“Furthermore, all postings and transfers made in the state civil service since October 2022 are hereby revoked. The affected personnel should immediately return to their former ranks, stations, or offices.”
However, while briefing the media on the situation in Makurdi, the acting state chairman of the PDP, Mr. Isaac Mffo, stated that the Governor’s action was unacceptable because the affected civil servants were lawfully employed and demanded that the directive be reversed.
According to the acting Chairman, “the affected civil servants were given lawful appointments into the state civil service after fulfilling all statutory requirements, and prior to this directive, they were entitled to all the rights, privileges, and protections accorded to them by the state’s labour laws.
“This is to say that the loss of such rights, privileges, and protections cannot be at the whim of anyone, regardless of their position, including the governor, but only for reasons prescribed by the same laws, which do not include Governor Alia’s action.
“The insensitivity of the Benue State Governor’s action becomes even more egregious when viewed against the backdrop of the unimaginable suffering that Nigerians endured under the recently deposed Buhari regime in the form of catastrophic economic mismanagement and the insecurity that directly threatened the country’s sovereignty.
“Governor Alia, as a direct offspring of the cruel and visionless Buhari regime, should tread carefully as Governor of Benue State so as not to exacerbate the pains and sufferings inflicted upon the state’s citizens by that regime.
“Perhaps the Governor needs to be reminded that former President Muhammadu Buhari made appointments to the federal civil service until the eleventh hour of his term, which President Tinubu inherited and is working with.
“PDP observes with regret that by this latest dismissal order, Governor Alia has continued on the wrong footing of his administration thus far, by executing weighty actions without following due process of consultations and interactive engagements required to input into those actions necessary public content and connect as should exist in a participatory democracy like ours.
“We condemn all of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s misguided, arbitrary, and unpopular actions thus far, and we call on all Benue State supporters to do the same. This arbitrary dismissal order for civil servants in the state of Benue, as well as those previously issued to the heads of state agencies and parastatals, only opens the door to potential litigations that are not in the administration’s or the state’s best interests.
“Therefore, Governor Alia should immediately rescind the sack order he has issued to thousands of civil servants in the state, as doing so will save his administration and the state as a whole from the ill wind that this action is certain to generate, which will surely benefit no one.”
Thanks for using our platform to learn of the latest Naija news today on Gov Alia sacks Benue civil servants recruited by Ortom
