GOV.OKOWA’S PROSPERITY MESSAGE COLLAPSES AS DELTANS SETS FOR A SHOWDOWN WITH HIM OVER CIVIL SERVICE JOB SUSPENSION

Secrets Reporters

Documents seen by Secrets Reporters news desk clearly show that some Deltans may go hungry as a result of the action of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa within just one week in office.

Not only did Okowa suspend the recruitment exercise, he went ahead to cancel the employment that was done from December 31st, 2013 signaling a death knell on his prosperity mantra . Okowa through a document signed by the permanent secretary, Mr.Ogidi Gbebaje, relieved all civil servants who joined the civil service from Dec 31 and May 31, 2015 of their appointments.

Tongues are already wagging in the state that the reason for the sack is for Okowa to reserve majority of the slots for Anioma Indigenes to have a higher stake in the civil service commission.
With this action, Okowa may just be introducing tribalism and sectionalism in Delta State, which he campaigned against during the electioneering period.

Owing to this, the affected civil servants in the state under the aegis of CONGRESS OF NEWLY
EMPLOYED CIVIL SERVANT OF DELTA STATE on Tuesday, June 02,2015,in Asaba, issued a 72 hour ultimatum to the Governor to reverse his decision and issue a counter circular to the former, or risk a showdown.

The question on the lips of Deltans is: why did Okowa not suspend the immediate civil service recruitment done in the year 2015 which caused the uproar but went ahead to relieve the 2013 employees, who had been issued appointment letters and were already working in their respective ministries and departments.

Another Deltan who spoke with Secrets Reporters stated that, ”this might just been a political witch hunt on the Uduaghan’s administration by Okowa.”

The communiqué reads in part:

That we had since resume work at our various ministries, department and agencies of assignment/deployment. That a greater number of us resigned our appointment in our former organization to pick up the civil service job with the joy of serving our state Delta.

In view of the above, the affected civil servants are bonafide staff of the Delta State civil service thus, our newly sworn in employer who took oath of office on the 29th May, 2015 after the employment had been duly/lawfully executed cannot validly discharge civil
servants of the employment which has statutory flavor.

Your Excellency Sir, we are Deltans, who passionately followed your campaign manifesto, tagged “prosperity for all Deltans”. We followed you, we campaign for you, and we voted for you, we defended our votes and ensured it counted; we celebrated you and rejoice with you
on your inauguration. We believed that the “righteous had been enthroned”, but most ridiculously, your circular which is retroactive is poverty for all Deltans.

Your Excellency, is this the prosperity you promised us? We hope this is a dream and we are yet to wake up. Hence we passionately appeal that you withdraw this Greek gift and be a father to us. “Remember our mata na him be de mata”.

We shall not hesitate to take further lawful step if our plea is not addressed within 72 hours and a counter circular issued.

We shall be obliged if our communique is treated with dispatch.