By Innocent Onyeukwu.
Startling revelations emerged yesterday that the Imo State Government may have concluded plans to retire 692 Civil Servants from the 7,075 strong workforce of the State.
This measure is aimed at reducing the sum of N577, 948, 372.37 million naira, being monies for the monthly emoluments coughed out by the State government for Imo workers.
Imo Trumpeta learnt that the downsizing of the State workforce is also in line with Government’s plans to kick- start the Community Government Council (CGC) introduced by the Owelle Rochas Okorocha Administration.
In a letter to the Secretary to the State Government, The chairman, Civil Service Commission, and the Head of Service, dated April 16th, 2012 and signed by Principal Secretary to the Governor, Dr Obi Pascal stated that the idea behind the exercise is that some civil servants in the State will be re deployed to the communities to start the new arrangement.
Part of the letter obtained by Imo Trumpeta stated in part ‘it has been observed that before now, communities have been denied all forms of human activities because these human endeavours have been concentrated in the cities leaving the rural communities without life. It is expected that the present contrivance of Community Government Council will reverse the trend and inject life into these communities’
It was however clarified that ‘the policy was not part of rationalization or disengagement of civil servants in any form’
The letter stated ‘the employment status of all civil servants who would be redeployed to the community service remains unchanged as they remain the employees of the Imo State Civil Service Commission or other commissions as the case may be’
The document however clarified fears on the number of staff to be retained by the each Ministry and Department, stating that it has been worked out and approved by His Excellency, the Governor. It however failed to mention the parameters used to retire some staffers and at the same time was unable to unveil the yardstick to be used to retain some staffers in various Ministries, parastatals and Agencies in the State workforce.
However, from statistics obtained by this newspaper, the Ministries of Petroleum and Environment, Public Utilities and Rural Development are worst hit by the exercise. Of the 353 and 327 staffers strength of the two ministries respectively, 22 staff will be retired between the year 2012 and 2013 in the Petroleum Ministry while 80 persons are to be retained.
In the Public Utilities and Rural Development Ministry, 30 staffers are to be retired within the same period of time. 100 persons are to be retained.
According to the document, 8 staffers of Government House are to be retired between 2012 and 2013, while 100 will be retained. Ministries whose staffers are to be retired within the same period of time (2012 and 2013) include as follows:
Commerce And Industry- 19, Finance- 27, Youth And Sports- 7, Housing and Urban Development- 11, Culture And Tourism-4, Women Affairs and Social Development- 6, Civil Service Commission-4, Imo Tourism Board- 2, Board of Internal Revenue-34, Local Government Service Commission- 6, office of the Secretary to the State Government- 20, Health Ministry-37, Office of the Head of Service- 9, Justice- 9, State Audit- 16, Works And Transport- 35, Planning And Economic Dev- 6, Deputy Governor’s office- 3, Agric And Natural Resources-107,Special Duties And Transport- 5, Lands and Urban Development will loose 14 staff within the same period.
No staffers were designated to retire in the Local Government Audit in 2012, but 5 staffers will be retired in 2013. The same goes for Local Government and chieftaincy Affairs where 6 staffers will be retired next year.
The parameter for the reduction of staff in The Imo State Oil Producing Development Areas Commission (ISOPADEC) was not ascertained, but out of 74 staff strength of the Commission, 35 will be retained.
The House of Assembly is not left out in the exercise as findings indicate that the 248 staff strength of the Assembly, 80 staff are to be retained, while 5 will retire between 2012 and 2013. The Judiciary is not left out too as the High Court will loose 40 staff via retirement, while theCustomary Courtwill loose 6. The Judicial Service Commission will loose 2 staffers.
However, reports reaching our newspaper indicate that the lists of the staff on the way out have been compiled ministry by ministry. Through shrouded in secrecy, some Government Houses staffers have exposed the planned mass sack to their allies and relatives affected by the exercise. In view of the nasty development, affected persons with relations in top government positions have began moves to remove their names from the list which would be published any moment from now.
It was further learnt that some of the affected persons are “sorting” top men in Government House to avoid the looming sack.
