The Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described as “totally condemnable and unacceptable”, Wednesday’s sack of some appointees of the immediate past governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, by Governor Monday Okpebholo......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Recall that Senator Okpebholo had in a statement signed by Fred Itua, his chief press secretary, fired all permanent secretaries brought in from outside the Edo State civil/public service by Obaseki, as well as all his political appointees.
But upbraiding Governor Okpebholo, the PDP, in a statement signed by the former commissioner of communication and orientation in the immediate past administration, Chris Osa Nehikhare, expressed outrage and disappointment at the development, describing it as “callous, reckless and unjust”. He said the action was a troubling sign of what may lie ahead under the new administration, stressing that the government’s harsh start was a direct assault on Edo workers and the people of the state.
However, in a swift response, the state government dismissed the PDP’s statement as “a joke taken too far”, insisting that it did not sack any civil servant but “appointees” of the Godwin Obaseki’s administration. The government said what it was doing was “fix the mess created by the immediate-past MoU governor of Edo State”.
Berating the new administration, Nehikhare lamented that “Many of the dismissed workers were left in uncertain conditions, plunging numerous families and dependents into a sudden state of disarray amid the current economic challenges, which were inflicted on the people due to the gross mismanagement of the national economy by the governor’s All Progressives Congress-led government.
According to the former commissioner, “This is totally condemnable and unacceptable. How can a governor begin to sack workers in the state barely 24 hours after he was sworn in? This callous and rash action of the governor is a direct assault on workers and the people of the state, and we condemn it in its entirety. It is reminiscent of the dark days of the military when after they illegally takeover power, they begin to sack and dismiss civil and public servants, using words such as ‘with immediate effect and automatic alacrity’.
“Could this just be the beginning of the harsh and inhumane policies and decisions we are to see under the new administration of Monday Okpebholo? Is this a sad tell-tale sign of what the government portends for the people of Edo State? If this is how the governor begins his first day in office, what hope do we have for the months ahead? How can a governor kick off his administration by throwing families into hardship? This is the height of wickedness and insensitivity and does not bode well for our state.
“It’s clear that this administration has no regard for the welfare of workers and ordinary citizens because how do you begin your tenure by throwing families into poverty? I think Okpebholo is only bringing home to Edo State the suffering and hardship already inflicted on the country and its people by the APC government at the centre. We should not be surprised but expect more of such harsh and insane actions to impoverish the people further”.
But firing back, the state government said “The statement issued by the factional chapter of the PDP in Edo is a joke taken too far. The PDP is yet to recover from the crushing defeat it suffered during the 21st September governorship election in Edo State. Governor Monday Okpebholo, since his inauguration on Tuesday, has since hit the ground running and trying to fix the mess created by the immediate-past MoU governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.
“For the records, the statement released on Wednesday by the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, did not sack any civil servant. Besides, no governor sacks civil servants through a media pronouncement. Those asked to go were appointees of the last administration in the state.
“The factional PDP in Edo State is ignorant, and its members need to be gainfully engaged. Anyone in the state’s civil service that is an appointee has nothing to fear. But if you are a product of the last MoU government and appointed by Obaseki, the rule of law must stand”.
