John Shiklam in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has confirmed the sacking of 4,042 local government workers. The sacked workers cut across the 23 council areas of the state.
This is coming just as the controversy over the sacking of about 22,000 teachers who were said to have failed a competency test is yet to settle.
At a news conference yesterday in Kaduna, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Jafaru Sani, said the sacking of the council workers was part of the ongoing restructuring of the local government system for effective service delivery.
The state government had in June, sacked 4,766 district and village heads who were under the payroll of local councils to reduce their financial burdens.
Sani said the restructuring was designed to strengthen the local government system to carry out developmental projects and programmes.
He disclosed that 3,159 of those had put in 10 years and were retired while the remaining 893 were terminated.
The commissioner said further that those retired would be paid their November salary including three months’ salary in lieu of notice while their pension would be worked out by their pension administrators.
He explained further that those whose appointments were terminated would equally be paid their November salary, one month salary in lieu of notice and gratuity according to the civil service rule.
“It is a known fact that the local governments were overburdened by redundant and unproductive staff who are contributing nothing to the development of the councils.
“Because of the over-bloated staff, the local governments are doing nothing other than paying salaries and end up becoming more or less poverty alleviation centres, where people just go to collect money and go home.
“To ensure development at the local levels, therefore, we have to do what is right by downsizing the redundant staff to free some funds that would be injected in developmental projects.
“With the disengagement, the supporting members of staff at the 23 local government areas are now 6,732, excluding primary school teachers and primary health care workers.
“I am sure, with this development, local government areas will soon start executing capital and development projects to provide social services to the people,†the commissioner said.
