Ihedioha Slams Okorocha Over Sacking Of 3000 Imo Workers

Ihedioha Slams Okorocha Over Sacking Of 3000 Imo Workers

Chief Emeka Ihedioha, the former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives has reacted to the dismissal of over 3000 workers in 19 parastatals, agencies and departments by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state.

According to Ihedioha, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Imo state, the recent  dismissal of over 3,000 workers by Governor Okorocha is “reckless, insensitive and completely lacking in economic sense”, Vanguard reports.

In a statement by Chibuike Onyeukwu, his media aide, Ihedioha condemned the scrapping of 19 government parastatals, agencies and departments.

He said: “There is no doubt that the Nigerian economy is facing a downturn as a result of dwindling oil revenue but the solution is not arbitrary disengagement of workers and scrapping of key parastatals, such as the Hospital Management Board, Imo Water Corporation, Imo State Investment Promotion Agency, Imo State Library Board, Agricultural Development Programme and others.

“Having anchored his (Okorocha) election campaign mantra on job, industry, factory and employment, Imo people looked forward to more jobs, employment opportunities and improved working conditions instead of disengaging the already demoralized workers.

 “Choosing to sack thousands of workers as the only viable option to tackling the state’s dwindled economic base is unfortunate, senseless, uncharitable and anachronistic.”

Ikenna Emeh, the SA to Governor Rochas Okorocha, had dismissed reports that over 3000 workers were sacked. According to him, the workers were not sacked but were suspended following discoveries that they were not duly employed.

Emeh added that the government’s revenue of 2.3billion as against a wage bill of N4.1billion is no longer suitable to sustain payment for all workers in the state.