No fewer than 68 Directors on Grade Levels 16 serving in the 17 Local Governments of Abia State are bemoaning their uncertain fate, following government’s decision to compulsorily retire them from Service.
The retirement fever was sparked by the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) in a circular addressed to the Heads of Service (HoS) in all the 17 local governments reminding them of the letter from the State HoS concerning retirement.
In the circular No. LGSC/AD/36/Vol.XVI/493, dated October 15, 2024 signed by the Permanent Secretary of LGSC, Judith Ezinne Ngakwe, the 68 underlisted officers were directed to proceed on compulsory pre-retirement leave immediately.
“This directive is in line with the Abia State Tenure Policy for all Heads of Service ans Directors, who have served in their positions for four(4) or eight(8) years as the case may be as well as officers who are due for retirement,” the circular said.
The Directors many of who are Heads of Service(HoS), acting HoS in the LGs were compelled to proceed on three months “pre-retirement leave with immediate effect” between September and October, hence by December/January their services would be terminated.
However, the planned retirement which government said was in line with the Abia State Tenure Policy, has been enmeshed in controversy as many of the affected Directors claim that they are not due for retirement.
The affected top civil servants in the local government system, who spoke anonymously to our correspondent, expressed their opposition to the mass disengagement.
“Most of us in the list compiled for the so-called retirement have not attained the eight years tenure in our present positions, so we’re seeing a political undertone to the entire exercise,” said a Director in one or the LGs in Abia South.
Another one in Abia Central said that the apprehension among his colleagues goes beyond being compelled to leave service as the future looks bleak for anyone facing the prospect of job loss.
He said that “we are being pushed to confront uncertain fate” knowing that those who were forcefully retired last year are yet to be paid even a kobo by the state government.
“So, if we’re removed from service now unprepared, what happens to our families and other dependants as we will be financially incapacitated to take care of their basic needs.”
Last week, the 30 Permanent Secretaries sacked from service at the early stage of the Alex Otti administration came together and cried out at a press conference that government was yet to pay them any of their entitlements.
The fear of stepping into the dark and the claim that many people not due for retirement were included in the list appear to have made the affected Directors in the LGs to ignore the earlier directive to proceed on pre-retirement leave.
The State Head or Service(HoS), Dr. Ngozi Queen Obioma, had in a circular No: HSA/S.0001/SUB.1/Vol.1/169, dated September 26, 2024, expressed alarm that “most civil servants no longer comply with the directive in the three months pre-retirement leave for officers who are due for retirement.”
“This situation constitutes a serious aberration of extant rules and regulations of the service,” she stated, warning that, henceforth, sanctions “would be invoked on officers who disobey the directive.”
Governor Otti’s attention was drawn to this palpable fear of alleged premature retirement among the Directors during his November media chat, but he said that such fears were unfounded as only those due for retirement are affected.
“Retirement is not a death sentence. One can even retire voluntarily,” he said, adding that he voluntarily retired from the banking sector.
Contrary to the claims by the top civil servants that many of them were not yet ripe to go on retirement, Otti insisted that the policy being implemented by his administration had been in place before now.
“If you have stayed as a director for eight years, you must go,” he asserted.
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
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