Hope Not In Sight Yet For Suspended Delta Civil Servants

By Kenneth Orusi, The Nigerian Voice, Asaba
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There seems to be more than the eyes can see regarding the final screening and verification exercises for the suspended civil servants whose employments were terminated by the incumbent in 2015.

Five years counting with bogus promises that their matter would be revisited and Deltan among them who qualified would be fully engaged, seemed to be a political statement.

Concerned Deltans have condemned in its entirety the unnecessary delay of resumption of the suspended civil servants who have suffered dejection and humiliation due to unsubstantiated "irregularities in process" that employed them.

It would be recalled that on assumption of office by Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, he suspended the civil servants on 1st June, 2015 who were employed at the twilight of the Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan's administration.

The affected workers received no concrete explanation from the state government for the suspension of their employment until 23rd February, 2019 when a committee was set up to look into the recruitment process of the suspended civil servants, a committee headed by Dr Eddy Ugboma.

On March 6th 2019, the nine man committee submitted a report to the Head of Service Mr Reginald Bayoko on their findings, which resulted in the suspension of civil servants being asked to come for verification with their Educational documents and letter of appointments into the service commission.

It was expected that after the screening and verification exercises those who met the criteria would be asked to resume duty, but that was not the case.

It took several protests and newspaper publications by the affected civil servants before Okowa could look into their demands.

There was speculations that on 10th September 2019, the state governor categorically said that all bonafide Deltans who met the criteria for screening would be asked to resume work within one month.

Over a month now yet the sacked civil servants have not been asked to resume duty.

It would be recalled that the state Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Reginald Bayoku, submitted the screening report to the state governor.

Several calls put across to the cell phone of the state Commissoner for Information, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu and the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), to the govermor, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, on Friday and Saturday for clarification were not returned at press time.