Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
Less than a week after assuming office, Senator Monday Okpehbolo has intensified plans to purge out civil and public servants recruited during the administration of his predecessor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, it has been gathered.
Obaseki who held sway as Edo’s governor for eight years, had brought in over 15,000 employees into the civil and public service through what was widely acknowledged as one of the most thorough and merit-based recruitment processes in the state’s history.
The recruitment exercise, which attracted national acclaim, was aimed at rejuvenating an aging and redundant civil service and injecting fresh talent into the state’s workforce.
These employees, who are currently working across various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government, according to highly placed sources, are now at risk of losing their jobs as part of what they describe as a “devious plot” by the APC-led government of Monday Okpebholo to systematically dismantle all legacies and achievements of his predecessor.
“The plan is clear and simple,” revealed a government official who pleaded anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. “It is to rid the civil and public service of the over 15,000 Edo people employed by the Obaseki-led administration and replace them with their own people. The political undertones are unmistakable.”
The recent attack and sack of staff at the State’s media assets, including the Nigerian Observer and Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS), is allegedly a part of the first phase of this sweeping purge.
“It has indeed been an ominous start for the Monday Okpebholo administration. There are several other legs that have been earmarked to achieve this evil plan, with different departments and agencies already penned down for the political-driven purge,” a source told our correspondent.
Further investigation by our correspondent revealed that meetings have been held with some government officials to compile a list of workers employed during the Obaseki-led administration, with a detailed plan for the systematic sack of these workers, department by department, under the guise of restructuring for efficiency.
The atmosphere in the state’s civil service is charged amid palpable tension and uncertainty, with many workers now living in fear.
“We are waiting and watching. We now work daily in fear as there’s an unspoken understanding that they are coming to send packing those of us recruited during the tenure of the immediate past governor. We came in through a transparent and merit-based process and have been delivering effectively and efficiently on our duties over these years but are now being targeted for political reasons,” said one civil servant who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Political analysts and other stakeholders, who have criticized Okpebholo’s plans and described it as insensitive, said the move is a calculated attack on the livelihood of Edo workers and their families.
“This is nothing but a witch-hunt. It is insensitive and insane for a government to come into office and all they think is how to impoverish the people and inflict pain on families. It is even worse that it is your APC government at the centre who is responsible for the anguish and suffering our people are going through daily to feed as a result of the mismanagement of the national economy.
“Why are you planning to sack workers employed by your predecessor? What a selfish and callous move for just a cheap political score. The governor must tread carefully to avoid creating more problems than he could ever have imagined,” a resident of the Ekenhuan Road axis of Benin City noted.