By Anayo Nwankwo
Aggrieved workers from the local government areas, who were removed from the payroll and labeled as ghost workers, are calling on the Chairman of the Anambra State Local Government Service Commission, Barr Vincent Ifeanyi Ezeaka, to publish the names of the 388 workers branded as ghosts. They demand transparency or for Ezeaka to retract the falsehoods intended to manipulate and cheat the system.
"Can he provide the names
of those 388 ghost workers he sacked?" they asked. "His so-called
value rebirth is nothing but an excuse to introduce the era of unpaid salaries
in the local government system. He has been removing workers' names from the
payroll at will to support his claims of ghost workers. As a result, some local
government workers have not been paid since April 2024, despite Mr. Governor's
commitment to timely salary payments. Barr Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka, as the
commission chairman, seems more interested in creating hardship and confusion
for workers by withholding their salaries without cause and subjecting them to
endless verifications during a time of severe inflation."
The workers continued,
"Barr Vin Ezeaka has been dragging workers around in the name of
verification, ignoring the risks they face traveling to Awka from their
respective LGAs. The only work being done in the local government today is
verification upon verification. This constant verification process confuses the
general public while he continues his deceitful approach. Take him seriously at
your own peril."
They questioned the so-called
rebirth programs of the Local Government Service Commission, accusing Barr Ezeaka
of inflicting hardship on workers in the name of reform. They claimed that the
service process has worsened under his leadership, with minor issues being manipulated
to cause dissension.
The workers noted that last
year, Barr Vincent Ifeanyi Ezeaka introduced a "three-month compulsory
retirement leave" for workers in the 21 LGAs of Anambra State. This policy
was met with mixed feelings because it differed from the state civil service,
and all efforts to stop it proved futile. Barr Ezeaka seemed determined to
implement this policy, not realizing he had an ulterior motive.
They alleged that successors
were being posted by the LGSC to replace retiring management staff three months
before their retirement date. However, this policy seemed to target only
management staff, particularly Heads of Departments and Heads of Local Government
Administration, while other workers were not included. They labeled it a
divide-and-rule, corruption policy, and pointed out that the Secretary/HLGA of
the Local Government Service Commission, Barr Stan Nwattah, proceeded on his
retirement leave as directed by Barr Ezeaka without a replacement. This
position, crucial for the administration of local government boards, has
remained vacant, a situation that has never happened before.
The workers further alleged
that despite Barr Ezeaka recently organizing an examination for aspiring HLGAs,
the process was flawed. He set the exam, marked it, and allocated marks
himself. To date, no staff or members have seen the examination sheets, raising
suspicions about the transparency and motives behind the process.
They expressed concerns about
possible extortion in the desperation to fill the vacant position. The
Secretary/HLGA serves as a coordinating unit for other HLGAs, and the lack of a
substantive Secretary is a significant drawback. They compared it to the state
government running without the Secretary to the State Government.
The recent appointments of HLGAs in Ayamelum, Ekwusigo, and Idemili North were cited as examples of corrupt practices in the commission. The chairman allegedly reserved Idemili North for his choice candidate, bypassing the proper order of hierarchy and making appointments based on alleged monthly returns rather than merit. The workers claimed they were prepared to protest as Governor Soludo arrived but were persuaded by the NULGE leadership to hold off. They questioned why Barr Ezeaka labeled them ghost workers and accused him of deceiving the public by removing names from the payroll without justification.
They highlighted
inconsistencies in his claims, pointing out that while his letter mentioned 222
suspected ghost workers, his press release and address had different numbers.
They questioned the transparency of the so-called computer-based promotion
examination and the supposed training of 1,000 local government staff, which no
one can verify.
The workers expressed their
frustration, noting, "The situation of the service process has worsened
under Barr Ezeaka. Some issues that should not raise alarms are being
manipulated to cause dissension. Last year, he introduced a three-month compulsory
retirement leave for workers in the 21 LGAs of Anambra State. This policy was
received with mixed feelings because it differed from the state civil service,
and efforts to stop it proved futile. Barr Ezeaka was determined to implement
this policy, not realizing he had an agenda."
They explained that successors
were being posted by the LGSC to replace retiring management staff three months
before their retirement date. However, this policy seemed to target only
management staff, particularly Heads of Departments and Heads of Local
Government Administration, while other workers were not included. They labeled
it a divide-and-rule, corruption policy.
The workers highlighted that
the Secretary/HLGA of the Local Government Service Commission, Barr Stan
Nwattah, proceeded on his retirement leave as directed by Barr Ezeaka without a
replacement. This position, crucial for the administration of local government
boards, has remained vacant, a situation that has never happened before.
The workers further alleged that despite Barr Ezeaka recently organizing an examination for aspiring HLGAs, the process was flawed. He set the exam, marked it, and allocated marks himself. To date, no staff or members have seen the examination sheets, raising suspicions about the transparency and motives behind the process. They expressed concerns about possible extortion in the desperation to fill the vacant position. The Secretary/HLGA serves as a coordinating unit for other HLGAs, and the lack of a substantive Secretary is a significant drawback. They compared it to the state government running without the Secretary to the State Government.
The recent appointments of
HLGAs in Ayamelum, Ekwusigo, and Idemili North were cited as examples of
corrupt practices in the commission. The chairman allegedly reserved Idemili
North for his choice candidate, bypassing the proper order of hierarchy and
making appointments based on alleged monthly returns rather than merit. The
workers claimed they were prepared to protest as Governor Soludo arrived but
were persuaded by the NULGE leadership to hold off. They questioned why Barr
Ezeaka labeled them ghost workers and accused him of deceiving the public by
removing names from the payroll without justification.
They highlighted
inconsistencies in his claims, pointing out that while his letter mentioned 222
suspected ghost workers, his press release and address had different numbers.
They questioned the transparency of the so-called computer-based promotion
examination and the supposed training of 1,000 local government staff, which no
one can verify.
The workers concluded that Barr
Ezeaka's actions have only brought hardship and confusion to the local
government system. They accused him of implementing useless policies and
programs to gain praise from the governor and the public, while many workers
remain unpaid. They criticized his recent celebration of the Local Government
Service Commission week, calling it a charade to cover up his failures and the
hardship he has inflicted on workers' families by withholding their salaries
without cause.
"Will Governor Soludo be
happy that the owing of salaries is back in the system? Was there any reason to
withhold someone's salary for truancy without query? Even if it is for the
purpose of determining truancy, those persons should have been compelled to
come for physical verification and be returned to the payroll the next month.
Is the commission vending lies for cheap political gains? Whose interest?"
the workers questioned.
They expressed disbelief at the inconsistencies in Barr Ezeaka's statements. "Why did Barr Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka call us ghost workers, even when denied through Chidi Agu, the commission PRO, but later included it in his address? His letter bears 222 suspected ghost workers, his address had 338, and his press release 222. What a complication!" they exclaimed.
They accused Barr Ezeaka of
making baseless claims about the commission's achievements. "We can tell
you that the claim by Barr Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka that the commission has trained 1,000
staff of the Local Government Service Commission and has introduced
computer-based promotion examinations is nothing but a white elephant project
designed to milk government coffers. The so-called computer training exercises,
which nobody in the local government system can verify, cannot boast of a
single worker who was trained and certified from the process. The computer
training, marred by insincerity, was supposed to provide computers for every
staff member through thrift or computer financing but has long been forgotten.
The computer-based promotion
examination, which failed to hold three consecutive times due to incompetence
on the part of the LGSC, has since been replaced with an analog system. It is
on record that the last examination for those to be appointed HLGA was set,
marked, and allocated marks by Barr Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka himself, and he still
holds the scripts without anyone else having access to them. Where is the
transparency and accountability he claimed to have set up with the SECAP (Service
Contract for Anambra People)? He acts as a one-man riot squad in all
activities, including appointments since his inception as LGSC chairman,"
they argued.
The workers concluded,
"His quest to organize this LGSC week was to cover up all his atrocities
in the LGSC. Today, we are in the mid-year of 2024, yet the LGSC has not
started the promotion exercise. Instead, he is busy witch-hunting workers. We
wonder if he was appointed to work for Mr. Governor or against Mr. Governor
because all his actions are bent on tarnishing the governor's image."
In contrast, Barr Vin Ifeanyi
Ezeaka claims to be the best thing to happen to the Local Government Service
Commission, blaming opposition and negative media reports for the criticism. He
maintains that he is genuinely committed to taking the commission to new
heights.
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