OSUN State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday, said it had uncovered plot by the Rauf Aregbesola-led administration to retrench no fewer than 10,000 out of the acclaimed 21,000 workers in the state workforce.
The party claimed that modalities to be adopted for the exercise were being handled by a stalwart of All Progressives Congress (APC) who allegedly did similar “job” during the tenure of Chief Bisi Akande, when workers were unceremoniously eased out of service.
In a statement issued in Osogbo by PDP’s director of media and strategy, Diran Odeyemi, the party said “we have it on good authority that a situation office reminiscent of the era of Alliance for Democracy (AD) government, led by Chief Bisi Akande, has been opened inside Osun Government House in Okefia to handle the retrenchment exercise.”
According to the statement, “a key figure in the team that handled similar exercise for Akande is heading the team working on the modalities to be adopted to force many workers out of service.”
It added that the first phase of the plot to sack the workers was to create division within the labour movement to ensure no serious opposition was raised when the exercise began.
The party also told workers to brace up for moves by government to find fault and hide behind failure to report for work tomorrow to sack them and should that fail, all level 13 officers and above, regardless of their age, should be ready for retirement.
It added that the kind of subjects teachers are handling and number of periods they have per week would be used to determine those that would be sacked, especially among secondary schools teachers.
Reacting, the director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, said such plan of retrenchment of 10,000 workers only existed in the mind of the PDP.
According to him, “the so-called plan to sack 10,000 workers is in the imagination of the PDP. Discerning and decent people have come to the inevitable conclusion that when PDP makes any allegation, you must quickly dismiss it as being in its character to fabricate falsehood, in order to confuse the unsuspecting masses.
“But the relevant question that must be asked is: has PDP’s notoriety in lying helped it achieve anything in Osun State? The answer is a big No. That is because the ordinary Osun people who understand perfectly the positive impact of the Aregbesola administration have left PDP behind in its lying act.
“This latest falsehood is part of its calculated move to misinform workers, confuse them and demoralise them. Nowhere has the Aregbesola administration signified any intention to sack any worker,” Okanlawon asserted.
On the allegation regarding the issue of 50 per cent of salaries paid to workers on Grade Level 8 and above, he said “the PDP dubiously remained silent on the fact that other categories of workers got their full salaries, while the government had made it clear that payment was effected on the availability of funds, with a promise that as more funds come to the government, there will be amendments where necessary.”
But the PDP berated Aregbesola-led administration for allegedly lying that two months salaries of workers would be paid last week, only to pay most workers less than 30 per cent net of a month’s salary.
The party queried: “What sort of governor would tell a blatant lie, all in desperate bid to get pauperised workers back to their duty posts?
“It is not only saddening that such has been the character that has handled the collective destiny of Osun people, it is also very interesting that castle of lies Mr. Aregbesola has built in almost five years is beginning to crumble, even when he has not left government.” (Nigerian Tribune)