By Okey Alozie
There are indications that things may fall apart in Imo State Civil Service soon following the alleged plan of the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma to downsize the labourforce and outsource some sections of the civil service work.
Starting from March 2020, as we gathered, Imo Civil Service would be downsized
Meanwhile a good number of workers seen at the State Secretariat Owerri may not return this year because their names did not come out as genuine workers of Imo State.
The affected workers as we gathered are now classifies as ghost workers.
The State Government recently maintained that all genuine workers and pensioners of Imo State Civil Service have been paid up to December 2020.
This statement from government has now sparked controversy and may result to another show down between the government and labour.
Information revealed that only very few workers will remain as permanent civil servants in Imo as the State Government is alleged to have planned to outsource some departments of the civil service.
If the new system is adopted, most of the civil service jobs will be contracted out to private people to handle.
Only senior civil servants like Directors and Permanent Secretaries will remain in the civil service as we gathered. A visit to the State Secretariat located at Portharcourt road Owerri showed that the entrance gate was padlocked.
Our roving reporter observed later that only the Directors and Permanent Secretaries of Ministries were allowed to enter their offices to work, including Commissioners.
Meanwhile, a source close to the office of the Head of Service, Imo State, who spoke to Trumpeta under anonymity disclosed that there is no plan to downsize the Imo work force, adding that the Government is fishing out fake workers, otherwise called Ghost workers, who earn salaries through fraudulent means, thereby bloating the salary Bill of Imo Civil Service, saying that such names would be expunged from Imo Civil Service roll call.
