Edo PDP condemns reintroduction of competency test by govt

THE competency test introduced by the Edo State government to test the competency of same categories of civil servants in the state has drawn the ire of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the party accusing Governor Godwin Obaseki of sustaining an unpopular policy of his immediate predecessor.

This is coming just as majority of the civil servants including teachers, who were supposed to write the competency test, shunned it and a pronouncement by Governor Obaseki that those who did not write the test among the levels 16 and 17 civil servants will not be promoted.

In a reaction on Thursday, the Edo PDP, however, took side with the civil servants who boycotted the test, advising the state government to cultivate the habit of organising in-house training for workers and to “stop dehumanising them in the name of competency test”.

State chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih in a statement issued in Benin Thursday, asked the Obaseki government to take a queue from the Ambrose Alli administration on content development for civil servants and stop testing the resolve of workers in the state.

He said, “Edo PDP condemns in strong terms the clandestine and wicked reintroduction of competency test by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

“The test itself is an illegal one as a restraining order given by the Industrial Court in 2014 against the conduct of such tests has not been vacated.

“With this, it has shown clearly that the only thing that has changed in the Edo government house is the personality because the present government is a continuation of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s anti-people policies.

“We challenge the state government to come out with the real motive behind the competency test as it is a common knowledge that there is more than meets the eye in the exercise.

“Remember that Oshiomhole set up committee and wasted millions of taxpayers’ money to organise the failed test in 2014. It is shameful that just like Oshiomhole, Governor Obaseki has shown great knack for frivolities.”

Governor Obaseki, had on Wednesday defended the conduct of the test, saying t the test was not compulsory for all teachers and that it was unfortunate that many teachers failed to understand details of the test.

He said, “It is not competency test. It is part of strengthening the civil service. The test is part of promotion exercise. They are already competent and that is why they are working and in the service.”