Sacked Civil Servant Calls For Upward Review Of List

By Kenneth Orusi, The Nigerian Voice, Asaba
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Condemnation has continued to rent the air following the 450 approved final list of names released by the Delta State government as qualified candidates to be absorbed into the state civil service.

At the wake-up of the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa's administration, 3000 recruited civil servants under the Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan's administration were sacked without any tangible reason.

One of the affected staff whose name could not meet the final list, a former Edumarshal Inspector, under the Dr. Uduaghan's administration, Mr. Michael Ojei, disclosed that the Okowa's government was not ready to return Edumarshal back on track.

In an exclusive telephone conversation Sunday, the former Edumarshal Inspector, wondered why the Dr. Okowa's administration wasn't interested in the activity of the agency that worked to ensure that school age children were returned back to the classroom.

Mr. Ojei, hinted that when Okowa assumed office in 2015, they were paid three months salary before they were laid off to the labour market.

"I think from every indication, the government don't want to get Edumarshal back on track. That is actually the truth of the matter. If not, there is no reason for them not to put Edumarshal back to their payroll.

"All of us have computer numbers that they used in paying us, the state government under Dr. Uduaghan, has been paying but all of a sudden since the Okowa's inception, he didn't pay. He just gave us three months salary and told us he will return everybody but he didn't do that", he said.

He noted that since the suspension of their recruitment, they have been going from one office to the other before resorting to fate.

Asked if life have been fair to him since the suspension, the former civil servant revealed that life has been very terrible since then.

"We have been going up and down to government offices. For me, I just said there is no need pursuing the job again, let's take it the way it is.

"Life have been terrible. Some of us have moved on but some others are still going through stress. If they can return us back, no problem, it has not been so easy.

That is the truth of the matter, for the past four years, somebody who was once a salary earner just live without payment, it is madness", he lamented.

Asked if he would like the state government to review the process with a view of including them, he said: "look at Asaba, pupils are wandering with nothing to do.

He continued: "the Edumarshal was like a wake-up call to the government. Look at government schools now. What is happening? Extorting money everywhere" he alleged.

He insisted "the state is dead without Edumarshal. The fear of Edumarshal was the begining of wisdom for them, so sad", he noted.

According to him, states like Kaduna, Osun, Plateau copied the Edumarshal programme from the Delta, "This is a local idea that started from here and they have gone far", Mr. Ojei added.

It would be recall that on 19th December 2019, four years after, the Facebook and other social media platforms were awashed with the news of the approved final list of candidates to complete documentation into the state civil service posted by the Commissioner of Basic and Secondary School, Chief Patrick Ukah, his Information counterpart, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, Mr. Nelson Egware, Aniagwu's Special Assistant on media and other government functionaries.