Kogi government to sacks 700 local government workers

THE Kogi state government has prepared list of over seven hundred civil servants across the 21 local government areas of the state for sack
It was gathered on Wednesday that the lists consists of those earlier pardoned by the government during last screening exercise.
The exercise designed to weed out ghost workers and other unintended beneficiaries lasted over three years.
Already some of the lists sighted by our correspondent revealed that Yagba East has 70 staff to be laid off, while Dekina has the highest number with 150 staff scheduled for sack, while other local government areas have their own lists.
Our correspondent gathered the decision was arrived at last month at one of the weekly Exco meetings where it was agreed that the screening exercise have not yeilded the desired results of reducing the monthly wage bill of the state put at N2.6 billion.
It was gathered that not even the 80 percent in the state and 35 percent to local government workers being payed since April have had any significant impact on the finances of the state forcing them to look for more areas of further savings.
“The Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello therefore asked Exco members present at the meeting to heads together and suggest ways of further reducing the state’s wage bill” our source noted.
At this juncture, members started suggesting and a member suggested that the Governor should rescind his decision y pardon those who had been found with one infraction or the other such as age falsification, certificate forgery or alteration of grades .
The Governor was said to have agreed and told them to go ahead and compile the list and forward it to him for approval,but the Supreme Court judgement of 30th August had put the decision on hold.
But now that the Governor is firmly comfortable in the drivers seat following the Supreme Court judgement affirming him as the authentic winner of last November 16 governoship election, the coast is now clear for the announcement anytime from now.
However, when our correspondent contacted the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, he denied that the state government is about to sack workers.
“It is not true. I can confirm to you categorically that Government has no plan to retrench.The Governor is committed to protecting the interest of the Kogi workers” he said.