By peter Uzoma
With few months left for administration of Owelle Rochas Okorocha to say goodbye to the governor’s office, Imo State, several shenanigans perfected by civil servants in the state work force have surfaced.
Part of the unwholesome act gaining prominence in the civil service, Trumpeta is about to reveal, is the flagrant abuse of civil service procedure where those who have reached retirement age fail to quit but rather choose to obtain “extension of service” letter to continue in office.
Trumpeta can reveal that worst hit in this practice is the Imo State House of Assembly where about three top management staff are reported to have obtained “extension of service” through the assistance of another top government official in the office of the governor.
Information available to the newspaper has it that the said development is causing uneasy calm in the Imo State House of Assembly as the workers are aggrieved and threatening showdown of the three top staffers of the state legislature continue in service after reaching the mandatory retirement age.
It was learnt that a top staff of the office in the legislative department (names withheld) who is alleged to be opposed to the growth of others in the office surreptiously obtained extension of service for two others in the unit who have reached the mandatory age for retirement.
The top staff alleged to have engineered the “Extension of Service” arrangement was said to have used his contacts in Government House to influence a figure who directed the House of Assembly Service Commission, HASC, to perfect the act without due approvals from the office of the Head of Service.
The bubble about the “Extension of Service” scandal rocking the assembly burst when one of the alleged management staff involved in the deal (names withheld) continued to report and discharge his duties despite reaching retirement age. The staff was suppose to quit and seize from reporting to office from 01/03/2019, according to official government notice for date of civil servants in the state.
Instead of calling it quits, the staff is still in office claiming to have obtained “Extansion of Service” letter. His claims have open the can of worms ravaging the Assembly.
According to Imo House of Assembly Service Commission verification exercise of Staff in the Imo State House of Assembly for those in Legislative Department, one Elebiri Antony C of DDL Rank and 5/1/1987 as first date of appointment has 25/3/59 as date of birth having obtained FSLC in 1973 was scheduled to retire on 25/03/2019 but is alleged to have gotten extension of service to continue in office till next year, while Nlebedum KC of Rank Grade Level 13 having obtained FLSC in 1976 is expected to have retired on 01/03/2019 with 21/3/64 as date of Birth but still in office.
Trumpeta, however discovered there is a mix up in retirement age of another top shot in the Imo Assembly alleged to be behind the Extension of Service deal.
According to an earlier verification exercise, the staff who had 2/8/59 as date of birth and 7/1/87 as first date of appointment, obtained his FLSC in 1972 and expected to retire in 2/8/2019, based on a report by the Imo State Government to ascertain the qualification, age, date of first/present appointment and retirement date of every staff.
But surprisingly, in the recent one, the date for retirement has been increased and another year of retirement added indicating that either it has been falsified or an Extension of Service contract obtained.
Information revealed that the ‘Extension of Service” contract was surreptiously obtained to frustrate the growth of the other staffers expected to take over after their retirements. It was however learnt that the accused persons exploited the expected change in government to perfect the act.
Efforts to get the side of Head of Service proved abortive as staffers declined to Government on the matter.
