From Judex Okoro, Calabar

Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade reportedly locked out the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Tina Banku Agbor and other principal political office holders at 7.33am when he resumed work and discovered they were not at their desks, yesterday.

The SSG and those who were locked out have their  offices within the precinct of the Governor’s Office.

Besides,  most workers were yet to report for work at the time, it was gathered.

This was the second time the governor would lock out workers.

Ayade, on his first day in office on June 1, 2015, locked out civil servants to serve as a deterrence to others, warning that all heads of ministries departments and agencies (MDA)s must live up to their responsibilities.

He said it was time civil servants served in line with prescribed rules to deliver on the desired gains to the populace.

As at the time of arriving at Governor’s Office, his Special Assistant and Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, was the only appointee in the office with two members of the press corps, including Daniel Williams and Nakanda Iyadim.

It was also learnt that Ayade’s deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu, arrived at about am 8:00am and was allowed in.

However, attempts were made to stop some security operatives who sneaked in with his convoy.

Ita said locking of the offices was to instil discipline and ginger workers to sit up.

One of the affected workers, who declined to be named, said the normal time for civil servants to resume work everyday is 8:15am and added that although “the governor has been trying, in times of payment of salary, the reason we come late is because of difficulty in getting taxis down” to their various offices “due to presence of too many task forces which force motorists off the road.”

Regardless, another source said Ayade arrived his office at about 7.20 am, only to discover the entire place was empty as most workers were yet to show up in their offices, including cleaners. The governor immediately ordered his security aides to shut the gate at 7.33 am.

Those locked out included Agbor.

“His Excellency arrived at about 7.20 am and the entire place was like a ghost city. He went into his office and after about 15 minutes, most of the people he needed to work with were not yet around. So, he asked us to lock the gate.”  An aide said the governor was scheduled to have a meeting with the Cross River Basin Development Authority at 9.00am and Managing Director of First Bank at 12.00pm and reported early to the office only to discover most of the workers were not on seat.

“His Excellency arrived here at about 7.20 am and the entire place was like a ghost city and he went into his office and after about 15 minutes, most of the people he needed to work with were not yet on their seats so he asked us to lock the gate.”

An aide said the governor was scheduled to host a team from the Cross River Basin Development Authority at 9.00 am and the Managing Director of First Bank at 12.00pm and reported early to the office only to discover most of the workers were not on seat.