LOCK-DOWN: Adamawa sacked workers head to court, hold protest

By Ibrahim ABDUL’AZIZ

The over 2,000 sacked workers whom PDP led government in Adamawa state said were “improperly employed” by the Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow led (APC) administration, are set to embark on massive street protests and seek legal action to press for justice, the spokesperson of the workers Faisal Baba has confirmed.

The leader of the affected workers told reporters in a phone interview that: “We are now holding a Marathon meeting over the unjust action, and we have resolved to commence street protest on Feb 10, 2020, to demand justice.

” Apart from the street protest, we shall also file litigation against the injustice being meted to us by the government,” Baba said.

He noted that over 5,000 workers were affected by the recent government’s decision which he said was carried out without due process.

“The government neither followed due process nor civil service rule in taking the misplaced decision.

” We were not told why we were penciled down for the sack and no investigation was carried before the unfortunate action was taken in contravention of the civil service rules,” he said.

He noted that despite not giving them sack letters, the state government vehemently refused to pay them salaries in the last 10 months noting that one of the steps an employer must follow before sacking an employee is the payment of all entitlements in addition to severance benefits which the government sidestepped.

“No reason was given for the sack. According to civil service rules, someone must commit offence and investigated before sack. If you don’t want someone’s service you must communicate to him and pay him all his entitlements and severance package.

” None of these was done before we were unilaterally sacked by the government. This is the height of impunity which we shall resist through legal means,” he said.

He accused the government of double standards, barefaced lies, and witch-hunt which he said informed why it has been feeding the people with half-truths since it embarked on the “sordid journey”.

” The government seemed to have lost focus because it cannot even articulate and marshal its arguments coherently.

“When the governor visited some media stations in the state recently, he said he did not sack anyone and said he will not sack anyone.

” He said his concern was mainly on those who were employed after the election only to come back and sack workers from September 2018 to May 2019. That does not portray a leader whose words can be trusted,” he said.

Faisal said the blanket sack, which includes those that have spent more than 20 years but arbitrarily retrenched because they have been transferred represents the highest form of impunity.

” What is the position of SPY workers, because in the past there was the announcement to the effect that all workers employed from September 2018 to May 2019 have been sacked.

“They did not clarify whether SPY workers are involved or not. What does this announcement mean? There are people that were on the transfer of service who are affected are they also sacked, or they should go back to their ministries?” he queried.

Earlier the commissioner of information and strategy in , Dr Umar Garba Pella, said that the state executive council had endorsed a white paper report of the committee on regularization of employment and transfer of service.

Pella who made the disclosure shortly after the state executive council meeting on Wednesday advised those employed between September 2018 – May 2019 to seek fresh employment, as the government no more recognized them as its employees.

Pella said the white paper report of the committee shows that there were irregularities in the employment process during the said period.

“If you know you are in Adamawa and you are employed between September 2018 and May 2019, we are of the opinion that that period, a lot of irregularities took place and that the council today based on the recommendations from the committee which made available the report to us and upon which the white paper was based, it is confirmed that the employment at that period did not follow due process and the advice is that they should seek fresh employment, and we are willing to employ.

“We will ensure that regular processes are followed which is in line with the rules so that we can employ them and regularize the process,” he said.

Government Reacts: Their employment did not follow due process

Reacting to the myriads of allegations leveled against the government in a phone chat, the information and strategy commissioner said the affected workers are being economical with the truth.

“They are not saying the truth, what the civil service provides is that there can be a waiver, but the waiver is not an individual waiver. Waivers are usually institutional,” he said.

Pella accused the sacked workers of circumventing the due process deliberately for self-serving reasons.

” If there is a compelling vacancy in an institution, because of the embargo that was on the ground at that time, the institution will approach the government for a waiver through the office of the head of the civil service of the state and governor grant those waivers through the same office.

“The vacancies are then advertised applicants applied, they are invited for interviews, and offers are given.

“Can they, in all honesty, say they follow such procedures before they were employed?

“What happened was that individuals obtained their waivers to the extent of going to organizations and telling them we have obtained waivers, therefore, give me employment.

“That practice is not done anywhere. It is highly selective and not fair to the rest of the state.

“We are reversing the trend and as far as we are concerned they did not follow due process, therefore, we are correcting the scenario,” he said.