From: Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A bleak Christmas and New Year celebrations await 217 workers mainly from the Niger Delta University (NDU), in Bagels State, It was gathered that their salaries have been suspended following irregularities discovered in their employment procedures by the state government.
The affected workers had petitioned their various unions alleging that Governor Henry Seriake Dickson had ordered their sack from the NDU without justifiable reason.
Investigations also revealed that the workers were not sacked but had their salaries suspended pending when they would clear their names over allegations arising from irregularities in their employment.
The Bayelsa State Government, on Tuesday, in a swift reaction over the allegations of sacking the workers described as “false claims” in some quarters that it has laid off some civil servants following the preliminary findings of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the malfeasance in the public sector.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who made the clarification in a statement released to journalists, in Yenagoa, explained that the salaries of some workers were suspended as a result of the discovery of alleged irregularities in their credentials, age falsification, unusual promotion and other forms of payroll fraud.
According to him the government at different times made it clear that it had no intention to sack any worker but only interested in fishing out those who found their way into the civil service illegally and others who have explored loopholes in the service to enrich themselves.
He disclosed that the salaries of those suspended are safely kept in an unpaid salary account waiting to be disbursed to those who will be cleared at the end of the exercise,
While expressing government’s regret over those he described as genuine casualties, Iworiso-Markson
He added that that it is imperative for them to do so as the salaries for December will soon be paid once the government receives its allocation for the month from the federal government.
His words”We have not sacked anybody. The salaries of some workers were only suspended. And those are the people suspected to have one issue or the other with their documentation. So it behoves on them to go and clear their names so they can begin to get their salaries. We are mindful of the times and we don’t want to get those who are genuine workers but because of human error to suffer unduly. So they have the opportunity to go and appear before the commission. Those who engage in the business of blackmail to rubbish government are not helping the process,”