The
2,000 workers recruited by former Gov. Ayo Fayose into the public service in
Ekiti on Friday staged a peaceful protest in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, over
their sack by the new Governor Mr Kayode Fayemi.
Fayemi had on Thursday sacked them over alleged irregularities in their
employment.
The workers, alongside some of their dependants, stormed major streets of Ado
Ekiti, claiming they were innocent of the alleged irregularities in their
recruitment carried out by the former governor Mr Ayodele Fayose 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.
Spokesman for the protesters, Mr. 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 qualified were shortlisted and they 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, Mr. 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.
