“We Voted and Fought for You”: Protest erupts as Governor Sacks Over 500 Workers
Vondigest reports that Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has reportedly sacked 513 workers of the Edo State Sports Council with effect from Monday, March 21.
The sack, according to Vanguard was contained in a memo dated Friday, March 4 and those affected were drawn from junior, senior and management categories of workers.
This online platform gathers that the government said it was part of the transition plan from the now-defunct Edo State Sports Council to the Edo State Sports Commission.
The memo stated that the affected staff would be immediately paid their one month in lieu of notice as compensation.
The memo also added that their pension payment would commence in April 2022, putting the number of the sacked staff at 514. The affected workers included athletes, coaches and administrative staff.
Vondigest reports that on Wednesday, March 24, the sacked workers staged a massive protest around the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and adjoining streets.
Some of the protesters said that they were shocked to receive a circular of their disengagement and were asked to reapply as casual staff.
One of the protesters, and former Paralympian, Patience Igbiti, said: “I have been here for over 20 years as a permanent staff and all of a sudden you disengage me. I have rejected jobs abroad to train people for my state, where do you now want me to start from?”
Another affected staff, Friday Aibangbe, a visually-impaired athlete, said: “I believe that the Governor did not consider us at all. We worked for him and voted for him and fought for him, now he has disappointed us.”
Addressing the protesters, the commission chairman, Yusuf Ali, promised to take their complaint to the government.
In a similar development, Professor Benson Osadolor has been sacked as the Vice Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Governor Obaseki who gave the approval and appointed Professor Sunny Adagbonyi as acting vice-chancellor.
This was made known in a statement signed by Osarodion Ogie, the secretary to Edo state government and shared on Obaseki’s Facebook page. Obaseki, however, did not give any reason for sacking Osadolor.
