FROM the ranks of junior workers, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State has taken his battle against the state workforce to the upper cadre.

Yesterday, he told the Clerk of the House of Assembly, Mr. Demola Badejo, the immediate past Accountant-General of the state and the Permanent Secretary of the Bureau of Pension, Mr. Babatunde Salau, and six Permanent Secretaries to quit.

Their offence: Perceived loyalty to his predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

Other Permanent Secretaries affected were Babajide Oyeti (Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs); Seyi Banjoko (Ministry of Agriculture); Jide Oyenuga (Bureau of Political Affairs and Administration); Kehinde Ogunfowodu (Bureau of Employment Generation); Moshood Opebiyi (Bureau of Economic Planning and Development) and Mufutau Lawal (Teaching Service Commission).

The governor was said to have rained abuses on Oyenuga who he accused of corruption.

A source said yesterday: “Amosun actually called him and said: ‘You are a thief’ and Oyenuga replied: ‘With due respect Mr. Governor, I’m not a thief and never you address me as such”.

The official reason for asking the Permanent Secretaries to go when they are not due for retirement yet was that the state wanted to downsize “to reduce the wastage in the system”.

But those familiar with the rules governing the terms of service of permanent secretaries said even if they are forced to leave the service, their salaries would still be paid for life, so the state would not have gained anything by asking them to go.

“This is a clear case of victimisation. Some of the affected permanent secretaries have been pressurised since the assumption of office of Governor Amosun to say something damning or indicting of Otunba Daniel but they refused to yield to such pressure. How can somebody say that you want to retire permanent secretaries so as to save fund when in actual fact, they will continue to draw their full salaries, even in retirement? This is a case of penny wise, pound foolish,” said the source.

The Nigerian Compass had exclusively reported on Monday that the governor was set to disengage 1,994, workers, recruited by the immediate past administration in the Gateway State, from the public service.

Some of the Permanent Secretaries were said to have received the news of their sack with shock while others reportedly took it in good faith, describing it as “an act of God.”

The Nigerian Compass also learnt that the governor is poised to commence a downward review of the salaries of other permanent secretaries in the civil service.

But when contacted, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant (Media and Communication), Mrs. Funmi Wakama, denied knowledge of the compulsory retirement.

“I am not aware, but I will try to get across to the governor who is currently attending a meeting of the Governors’ Forum in Abuja,” Wakama told reporters in a telephone interview.

The ultimatum given to the governor by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to show commitment to pay the N18,000 minimum wage or face the full wrath of the workers expires today.

The workers’ union has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the governor refuses to accede to the minimum wage demand as signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan in March.

This is coming on the heels of threat by a human rights activist, Kayode Ajulo, that any governor who is not ready to pay the N18,000 minimum wage should resign or be impeached for violating an extant law.

According to a statement, Ajulo maintained that the payment of the minimum wage was non-negotiable because “it took effect from March 23, 2011”.

His words: “With the long expected review and/or amendment of the National Wage Act, Cap. N61 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004 by both Houses of National Assembly and the congenial signing into law by President Goodluck Jonathan, on 23rd day of March, 2011, it has unambiguously come into effect that Section 1 of the Act is amended in subsection (1) by substituting for the existing subsection (1) a new subsection “(1)”:

“(1) As from the commencement of this Act, it shall be the duty of every employer (except as provided for under the principal Act as amended) to pay a wage not less than the national minimum wage of N18,000 per month to every worker under his establishment”

“By the above provision which takes effect from 23rd March, 2011, the day it was signed into law by the President, the payment of the new minimum wage becomes accruable and is not subject to further negotiation, compromise or wishful thinking of several employers of labour in Nigeria, particularly governors, with the exception of the few that gave indication to pay accordingly”.

WTF?

High_Chief:

The official reason for asking the Permanent Secretaries to go when they are not due for retirement yet was that the state wanted to downsize “to reduce the wastage in the system”.

But those familiar with the rules governing the terms of service of permanent secretaries said even if they are forced to leave the service, their salaries would still be paid for life, so the state would not have gained anything by asking them to go.

Is this true? What sort of job is this that one gets paid for life whether working or not? Is this even legal? How could Ogun State offer such over-generous terms? So if the guy retires/is fired at age 40 and lives to age 120, then you are paying him 80 years of additional salary for no labor? This sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I hope that this type of thing doesn't appear more generally in Ogun's civil service?

The Nigerian Compass had exclusively reported on Monday that the governor was set to disengage 1,994, workers, recruited by the immediate past administration in the Gateway State, from the public service.

Good.

The Nigerian Compass also learnt that the governor is poised to commence a downward review of the salaries of other permanent secretaries in the civil service.

Good.

The ultimatum given to the governor by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to show commitment to pay the N18,000 minimum wage or face the full wrath of the workers expires today.

Any striking government employees should be sacked. This threat by the NLC can be a blessing in disguise. Sack/retire the striking government employees and audit the civil service and reorganize it to make it more efficient, and your books will be much stronger.

I am beginning to think that this civil service is one of the biggest enemies of progress in the SW region.

How many civil servants does Ogun State have? How much do they earn? How many employed in different sectors (e.g., 1000 working for department of such and such, etc)? What does the pay scale look like?

If anyone has access to this information or knows where it can be found, please post.


Btw this shouldn't be taken as an attack on the individuals in the service necessarily, just the way the whole thing is run.

Something is wrong with this story and am yet to get my hands on it.
Pension i know of, whats up with salary for life after retirement. i'm not comfortable with this.

Dapo the real issue is the multiplication of ministries and departments, for example their was ministry of works suppose to cater for roads, general physical works, drainages and street lights rehabilitation and maintenance, OGD created about four different arms that was suppose to be under works ministry, instead of him to use the same workers in the ministry he employed new workers about a triple of the works ministry and yet the works ministry workers were not sacked, the new arms include Ogroma, OGEPA and this is wrong. The work force of ogun state is about 50000 and almost half are docile. The Permanent secretaries were retired so as to merge the over bloated ministries.

We also have the Ogun state employment generation agency which should have been under the welfare ministry, that should be cancelled.