The Ekiti State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has faulted the reduction of the state ministries from 24 to 14 by the Peoples Democratic Party-led administration of Governor Ayodele Fayose, saying the move will result in job cuts and dampening of morale among the rank and file of the state work force.
This was contained in a statement issued by the state Public Relations Officer of APC, Taiwo Olatubosun on Tuesday.
According to the State party, the policy is a “systematic disengagement, dislocation and dismantling of the civil service from a functional civil service to a task force civil service”.
It recalled that “At Inauguration, Governor Fayose reversed the appointments of eight permanent secretaries to their former positions, thus making those who replaced them return to their former lower positions. This is an unwarranted demoralisation of the top echelon of the civil service that is central to the faithful implementation of government’s programmes.
“The present reduction in the ministries will create chaos in the civil service top cadre, as many senior officers won’t find spaces in the present arrangement while no fewer than 500 workers in the rank and file will lose their jobs.
“Instead of expanding the operations of government businesses to take in more of our jobless youths, Ekiti people are being thrown into the saturated labour market. This is great disservice to the people that were promised abundant life by the governor just few months ago during campaigns.
“The governor cannot claim that the state does not have money to pay salaries and emoluments. Governor Fayemi demonstrated in the last four years that there is no need to downsize the civil service. It will be a great disservice to Ekiti people if after deceiving them into pro-masses deceits, they are now being thrown out of their jobs”.
The APC also berated the governor for taking September federal allocation to pay October salary, wondering the economic sense behind skipping September to pay October salary.
“We want Ekiti people to know the deceit of Governor Fayose, who has been in the media painting Fayemi black that he owed Ekiti workers two months’ salary.
“Technically speaking, Dr. Fayemi did not owe any salary. If, as alleged, his administration owed September salary and he left government on October 15 while the allocation for the same September was received by Fayose, then commonsense requires that the incumbent pays the workers September salary with September allocation, while anticipating October allocation.
“It is on record that Fayemi, in his four years, didn’t owe any worker salary until Fayose emerged Governor-Elect and harassed banks not to transact business with the then outgoing Fayemi administration. Ekiti workers should ask Mr. Fayose why he now finds it difficult to pay their September salary despite having received September’s allocation and over N10 billion owed the State by the Federal Government”, the party added.
