By Tony Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Local Government Service Commission is facing a crisis that could potentially lead to industrial disharmony if not addressed promptly.
The commission, responsible for managing the state’s local government workforce, has been accused of insincerity by its workers.
At the centre of the controversy is the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka, a lawyer who has been accused of damaging the workers’ reputation.
The troubles began when Ezeaka wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC) on March 20, 2024, requesting the removal of nearly 300 workers from the payroll of the Commission due to alleged irregularities.
The letter, referenced ANS/LGSC/S/33/Vol.XXXIII/250, stated that the affected workers were either dead, retired, or unknown to the Commission.
The letter read in parts,” Following a vigorous personnel exercise carried out by the Local Government Service Commission, the following people who
are still on our payroll either as dead , retired or unknown to us.
” I therefore request you to pin them off the payroll.
” The attachment contains 220 unknown/suspected ghost workers, 49 retired workers and 59 dead workers that are still on payroll. Assurances of my highest regards, please.”
But the workers accused Ezeaka of creating false impression at the Commission to impress the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, who they said ordinary would be happy that Ezeaka was doing well by identifying and reducing such number of workers as a burden from the state’s treasury.
As the tension was brewing and industrial disharmony looming in the commission following Ezeaka’s letter to JAAC, the Information and Communication Unit of the Local Government Service Commission came up with a disclaimer statement, stating that there were no plans to lay off any worker of the Commission, describing such publications as fake news
The disclaimer dated 5th June, 2024 and signed by Comrade Agu Chidi(JP), DDI/PRO,of LGSC read in part,”The attention of the Anambra State Local Government Service Commission ( LGSC) has been drawn to the spurious publication circulating in the social media, alleging the dismissal of 222 local government staff and six directors from service for certificate forgery, while two others indicted for simultaneously engaging in two jobs were ordered to refund four years salary, as fake news by mischief makers, bent on fomenting industrial disharmony between the worker friendly Governor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the Local Government Service Commission and the Nigerian Union Local Government Employees ( NULGE) in Anambra State.”
The commission wondered how an ongoing two-week local government staff verification exercise which had barely commenced, of which the outcome was yet to be officially determined, could be latched upon by those it called charlatans, masquerading as media outlets,just to create unnecessary tension,fear and anger in the state.
“The commission therefore advised local government workers in the state to disregard such unfounded publications based on the figment of imagination and lies,and to carry on with their legitimate duties without fear,” the disclaimer further stated.
But in what looked like a dramatic U-turn,, the Chairman of the Commission , Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka, in his address during the Commission’s Week some days ago resurrected the matter in what the workers described as “an eye service” to impress the governor.
Ezeaka said in his address,” Mr Governor,with your assistance, we identified 338 ghost workers in the Local Government System. We have also identified and sent home 5 deputy directors who were using forged certificates of higher institutions in Nigeria.
“The process of identifying those with fake certificates is still ongoing and will soon be completed. We have also through our collaboration with the workers’ union leadership got 44 workers with different types of fake certificates to voluntarily surender themselves for disciplinary amnesty which we will soon send to Mr Governor for consideration. This exercise will expectedly save the state some hundreds of millions of naira annually.
However, some workers who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization, said Ezeaka was lying to to the governor just to get favour.
The workers said the people Ezeaka called labelled workers were retirees and workers on transfers who were yet to perfect their documentation.
They warned Ezeaka to stop portraying workers in the Commission in bad light or face their wrath.
The workers also maintained that Ezeaka’s claim during the Commission’s Week that the previous administrations of the Commission did not conduct any trainings for the workers was a lie and an indictment on the former leaders of the Commission such as Dr Alex Obiogbolu ( Current Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on Political Matters), GN Muotolu, EC Odika, Sir Peter Egenti.
The workers said LGSC under Ezeaka had not organised any staff training contrary to his claim during the Commission’s Week, except what they called the defunct computer literacy training that was not able to continue due to insincerity of the LGSC under Ezeaka.
One of the workers said,” In such computer based promotion interview held under him( Ezeaka) did not hold for three consecutive times and was later held at the fourth trial in which the LGSC had since returned (back) to analogue and the LGSC has failed to provide few staff who joined the first batch with a computer set.
The workers tasked the Ezeaka to show proof of the workers he tagged as ghost workers and his other claims, adding that Ezeaka needs to be shown his way out of the Commission for the Commission to breathe fresh air.
Ezeaka, in what looks like a reply to the workers’ demand for a proof of his allegations of ghost workers and other infractions in the local government system in the state said,…” the Commission began a digitalization process,which resulted in the deployed of staff biometrics/verification and digital staff register. It’s this process that helped to Pinoff a significant number of ghost workers and reduced the incidences of late coming and absentism. Before now, it is only the heads of local government administration, the treasurer, the internal auditor, the cashier and the revenue collectors that managed to come to work three times in a week or whenever schedule is received in Awka
Ezeaka also said that LGSC under his watch had conducted a staff computer training session for over 1000 workers and tested the proficiency of the outcome in computer based promotion for staff of the Commission.
The Anambra State Government has yet to comment on the matter, but sources close to the government have hinted that an investigation may be launched to look into the allegations.
