2,000 sacked workers protest in Ekiti

The 2,000 workers recruited by former Governor Ayo Fayose into the public service in Ekiti State on Friday staged a peaceful protest in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, over the recent cancellation of their recruitment.

Governor Kayode Fayemi on Thursday cancelled their appointments over alleged irregularities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workers, alongside some of their dependants, stormed major streets of Ado Ekiti, claiming they were innocent of the alleged irregularities in their recruitment exercise seven month ago.

They appealed to the governor to reconsider their case.

They also stormed the state Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) located within the State Secretariat complex, flaunting their original letters of appointment.

Spokesperson for the protesters, Olawole Ganiyu, said contrary to the pronouncement made by Ekiti government that they were employed illegally, their appointments were in line with the civil service rule.

“During the Fayose-led government, we were at home when vacancies were advertised.

“Out of nothing, we paid N1,000 to buy forms. We wrote examinations and later sat for interview. Scores of the examination results were also pasted at the various ministries.

“Later, those shortlisted as qualified, again sat for separate interview and letters of appointment and posting issued out to successful applicants.

“What was in our letters is that we are to work for three months before getting salaries, but we have not been paid a dime since eight months ago.

“Government should please be compassionate with us. We were born and brought up here in Ekiti as indigenes, most of are long time graduates in search of gainful employment.

“Most of us even, out of the desperation to get pensionable jobs, resigned from private jobs to partake in the recruitment while many others had to relocate to our places of posting without a single kobo of mobilisation since about eight months ago that we were engaged, and has been working very hard to justify our appointments,” he said.

Another victim, Akande Adekunle, expressed sadness that they could be allowed to suffer since October 2018 they were offered employment without any pay.

“We went through due process. It was a process that was legitimate. When the present government came, we expected pronouncement from the government, but they said we should just be working because our employment was legitimate.

“We have to clarify that we were not sponsored by politicians. We have no godfathers and government should be a continuum.

“I do not know why we are being treated this way. It is shocking that they said we didn’t go through due process.

“One of us has already lost her pregnancy, because of the shocking news of our disengagement.

“People of goodwill should please help us intervene in this matter. We should not be sacrificed on the altar of politics, we don’t carry party cards,” he said.

(NAN)