Government of the State of Osun has approved the outright dismissal of 422 civil servants involved in acts that breach the service’s rules and regulations, notably, certificate forgery.
A statement signed by the state Head of Service, Festus O. Oyebade on Friday, September 13th disclosed that the state governor, Gboyega Oyetola has approved that civil servants who violate the rules of engagement should be sacked from the service. The government had between 2013 and 2015 engaged a private organisation to conduct a staff audit during which different levels of infractions were discovered.
The statement partly reads, “Due to paucity of fund in the state and the attendant huge wage bill of public servant between 2013 and 2015, the immediate past administration in the state engaged the leadership of the labour movement in the state on the way forward.
“Thereafter a staff audit committee was inaugurated to carry out staff audit with a view to ensuring that the public service was rid of ghost workers.
“Thereafter the state engaged the services of captain consulting firm to carry out certificate verification exercise of all public servant in year 2015. The firm submitted its report and it was accepted and approved for implementation by the immediate past administration.
“However, when the new administration came on board in November 2018 the leadership of the organized labour movement in the state appealed passionately to the government to have a rethink on the implementation of the report.
“After much pressure from the labour movement, the governor approved the Constitution of a 5-member committee to further examine the report and make an appropriate recommendation in line with extant public service rules and regulations.
“The committee having critically examined the report of the consultant recommended that some public officers who were earlier indicted by the report especially those in the union cader be left off the hook in view of peculiar administrative exigencies which the governor graciously approved.”
The statement further revealed that cases of some officers were reviewed and such officers were recommended for demotion, while other officers whose cases could not be glossed over because of its grave nature on the public service were recommended and subsequently approved by the state government to be relieved.
The deputy governor of the state, Mr Benedict Alabi had during an interview with Insight Media in May said the government was taking all the complaint by the affectedd civil servants into consideration and would determine their genuiness before taking final decision.
Furthermore agencies of government through their various boards and commissions have been directed to implement forthwith the aspect of the report as it affects their services.
