By peter uzoma
A tsunami that will sweep off workers in government establishments is in the offing as the Imo state government panel of inquiry into the activities of Heads of Administration and Accounts of various parastatals in Imo state commences operation.
To herald the looming mass sack which the Okorocha administration is accused of perfecting, heads of some government parastatals have been suspended.
In a letter to all heads of parastatals in Imo state signed by TUC Nwokonkwo for chairman of panel ostensibly from the permanent secretary, Economic Affairs Bureau, office of the secretary to the Government, the heads were informed that the state has constituted panel of inquiry into their activities for the past four years 2010-2014.
Apart from requesting for comprehensive nominal role and necessary biodata of their staff, authority for all employments within the period 2010 to date was among items demanded.
The exercise which has instituted fear among workers of government parastatals, it was learnt is a smokescreen designed by the state government to make a clean sweep of the workers employed since 2010. There is apprehension in the affected government agencies that the panel of inquiry which has demanded for the relevant documents is a sheer decoy to off load and downsize the state workforce.
Trumpeta learnt that in order to victimize some perceived enemies in the state civil service and give opportunity to the numerous applicants who are seeking the promised 15,000 jobs by Okorocha under his “Youths Must Work” programme the Rescue Mission government is embarking on surgical operation of the workforce.
Those who were opportune to be employed from 2010 will be worse hit as they will be sacked same manner the 10,000 job beneficiaries of the Ohakim government were flushed. To ensure that those who gained appointments from 2010 are chased out in the coming exercise as it was done in the LGAs by Okorocha, the government through the panel of inquiry also demanded for authority for all employments within the period, 2010 to date, if any.
To demonstrate that its threat of the expected Tsunami is real, six heads of parastatals have been carefully sent packing by way of suspension. Even as the committee is yet to fully commence operation heads of the state Library Board, Imo Water Corporation, Arts Council, Imo state newspaper limited, Imo Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Bureau for public procurement have been sent to the cooler.
Reacting on the issue, the state Public Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side) has said that the time and the perceived intention of the letter is ambiguous adding that parastatals in Imo state have been subjected into untold series of screening within just four months.
In a letter to the Head of Service signed by Comrade Okwara Coleman O, and Comrade Ojiri AN, state chairman and secretary respectively, noted that “His Excellency using your office to deal with heads of parastatals suggest nothing but the voice of Jacob and the body of Esau. That labour before hand has told the Chief of staff of Government plan to replace all Heads of parastatals with politician as something labour will resist at all cost, labour regrets that our man the Head of service is used to deal with his colleagues in this capacity”
According to the labour in the letter to Head of service date 7/14/14 “in the meeting of 7th April 2014 reviewed all the content of your letter and resolved as following “Directed all the concerned not to attend that verification exercise. Believed that the exercise is ill-timed, vindictive and prejudice aimed at dismissing the heads of parastatals as earlier informed. Directed all heads of parastatals to stay away from this exercise Labour calls on government to desist from this exercise as it will not mean well for this government”
After weeks of speculations that the Okorocha Administration wanted to sack General Managers and Directors of parastatals/corporations in Imo State Government and replace them with politicians who will manage the said establishments for 2015 elections, the Imo state Government towards the end of the last week set up a panel to probe all the state government parastatals.
However, it is shocking to note that as the panel is yet to commence work this week, the Government since yesterday in a radio broadcast, claims to have suspended General Managers/Directors and Directors of Accounts of 6 state parastatals namely Imo Newspaper, Library Board, Agricultural Development Project ADP), Bureau for procurement, Arts Council and Water Corporation
A staff of one of the affected parastatals who granted an interview to the press on condition of anonymity said that the panel requested her parastatal to make available certain documents to the panel on Monday the 14 of April 2014 and was surprised to hear on the state owned radio station that her Director and Director of Accounts have been suspended.
