Ademola Babalola in Ibadan
A major labour industrial crisis is brewing between the Oyo state government and the workers in its employ as Governor Abiola Ajimobi has announced the suspension of salaries of as many as 16,532 of its 100,259 total workforce.
The development was a fallout of the ongoing state employee verification exercise aimed at eliminating fraud and errors in the payment of salaries, wages and pensions as well as to determine ghost workers in the state civil service.
The Nigerian Interbank Settlement Systems Plc (NIBSS) was engaged to ensure non-interference of bias. The body has turned in it’s report with far reaching discoveries of certificate entry and age falsification, receiving double salaries, and general inconsistencies in the government staffing records.
The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ismail Olalekan Ali, the Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eniade, Special Adviser on Communication, Mr. Yomi Layinka and Special Assistant Media, Mr. Akin Oyedele, said at a news conference held at the Western hall, Agodi Secretariat, on behalf of the government that the affected workers are those currently having issues ‘requiring further clarifications’.
In the meantime, the state government said the affected workers would have their salaries suspended immediately pending further investigation.
Also, a batch of 906 members of staff who have details that overlap/appear in multiple categories also have issues with their monetary account details with a top government official confiding in THISDAY that ‘this category of workers have been listed for sack without further delay’.
The SSG said those of them having issues with multiple salaries into multiple accounts and other misdemeanors would have the extent of such multiple salaries determined, refunds pursued and legal actions embarked upon accordingly in a way that all monies credited to such accounts but not accessed, would be recovered.
Ali also stated that ”for all the categories where employees have been found culpable, further disciplinary actions including prosecution should apply. ”
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