BY REBECCA AJANI
THE Ekiti State House of Assembly Service Commission, on Tuesday, sacked 21 members of its staff.
The employees were relieved of their duties for various offences, including irregular appointment, alteration and mutilation of files, among other irregularities.
The Chairman of the Commission, Taiwo Olatunbosun, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the decision was taken in compliance with the report of the staff audit undertaken as part of efforts aimed at reorganising the commission for effective service delivery.
”The audit ultimately discovered irregularities ranging from hiding, alteration, and mutilation of files, the advancement of staff without due process, appointees illegally retained in the system after expiration of tenure and arbitrary transfer of service without cognate experience.
”It also discovered overaged staff members, irregular appointments/promotion of staff without approval, cases of forgery, arbitrary placement of officers with utter disregard to the scheme of service, and many more,” Olatunbosun said.
He added, “The audit, which started last year on the assumption of office of the present Commission members, engaged the services of auditors over complaints, agitations, and petitions from some members of staff on allegations of irregular advancement, absenteeism, arbitrary promotion and placement of officers above colleagues without regards to provisions of the scheme of service.”
The chairman stressed that the routine staff audit was carried out in good faith, without any intention of vendetta, witch-hunt, or victimisation of any person.
He said the outcome of the report had since been discussed with the management staff of the Commission and the leadership of the state chapter of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).
The 21 affected workers have, however, protested what they described as unjust dismissal by the State House of Assembly.
The Secretary of the Ekiti State Joint Negotiating Council, Gbenga Olowoyo, maintained that the Commission should not have sent the names of the affected workers to the Accountant General to stop their salaries, while negotiation lasted.
