Concerned Workers of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS), the Nigerian Observer, and other parastatals in the state have appealed to Senator Monday Okpebholo to address the displacement and redundancy they have suffered under the outgoing PDP administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki, if he gets elected as Governor.
The workers revealed that this appeal has become necessary because they believe that as a more compassionate and humane person the Senator is disposed to hear them out and assist them if he gets into office compared with his PDP counterpart.
In a statement they said that between 2020 and 2022, Governor Obaseki without recourse to extant rules of the State Civil Service ordered a mass redeployment of staff from their original agencies to various ministries, where they automatically became redundant.
This action, they claimed, negates the claims of reforms in the public sector as it was designed to make way for external consultants the Governor brought in from Lagos and other parts of the country, on a higher remuneration than the State offer. “Yet these consultants reportedly lacked the requisite skills and experience, leading to the deterioration of the affected agencies’ operations”, they argued.
“The consultants were placed on special salaries and allowances despite performing substandard work. As a result, we the workers experienced stagnated promotions, demoralization, and lack of adequate office space, even in the old but renovated renovated state secretariat”.
The Concerned Workers said, “Additionally, some junior staff members were promoted over and above their more experienced colleagues Seniors and and given powers to oversee their work, thereby creating tension and further demoralizing the workforce”.
Speaking specifically of the EBS and the Nigerian Observer, the workers noted, “The government worsened the situation. Staff from other states were hired on higher levels, while Edo indigene were engaged on a contract basis in clear violations of established civil and public service rules”.
“Despite repeated petitions to the Edo State government and engagements with officials our grievances went unanswered. There is the case of the powerful influence of Mr. Crusoe Osagie, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media Strategy, who unduly control EBS and the Nigerian Observer management, sidelining the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation in the process”.
The workers also criticized the unfulfilled promise of a N70,000 minimum wage adjustment, which Governor Obaseki announced on May 1, 2024 and said that despite federal approval for the adjustment, the governor has yet to act on his promise to them, leaving Edo workers feeling deceived and neglected.
The workers said they have resolved to vote against the PDP candidate because he is part and parcel of the outgoing government and participated in many decisions of the Governor which led to their present predicament.
