Fayose cancels employment of 400 by state varsity

GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has ordered the immediate sack of 400 workers recently employed by the Ekiti State University (EKSU).
Governor Fayose said on Tuesday that the process of employment of the workers by the university did not follow due process.
Fayose said there was the need to make appointment into public service free, fair and transparent, saying “the recent employment made by the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti was cancelled because it did not follow due process.”
He wondered why more than 400 persons would be offered employment without the positions being advertised for interested people to try their luck.
He said he could not be championing transparency and equity while only a privileged few in the state would use their position to get employment for their relatives, saying “who will fight for those in the villages and those who know nobody in position of authority, but who are also qualified for employment?”
Speaking on the N-Power scheme, the governor promised a reward of N1 million and full employment for the best participant in the N-Power Programme of the Federal Government.
He made the promise in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday during an interactive session with the participants from the state at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti.
He said the state government would fully play its role in ensuring the success of the programme.
The governor, however called on the FG to fully tackle unemployment headlong, saying the N-Power Programme was only a palliative.
“This is only a palliative as it will last for only two years and I am strongly appealing to the Federal Government to take the issue of job creation serious. When somebody partakes in this programme and is sent back to the labour market after two years that is going back to where he or she started, the labour market.
“As for us, we will do our duty to distribute participants to where they would work and monitor them as well as ensuring that we do a proper data capturing of the participants.
“For those in the agriculture arm of the programme, they can take advantage of our desire to adequately support rice and cocoa cultivation. We will support in the provision of inputs and clearing of land. Next year, we are committing about N250 million to clear farmlands across the state. From among the participants, we can get serious ones who could be useful in the teaching service and other areas,” he said.
One of the participants, Oke Motunrayoo Alaba, commended the governor for his support for the programme.
No fewer than 3400 people are taking part in the programme in the state.
Participants are to‎ take part in teaching, health, community and agriculture activities for the next two years and would be paid a monthly stipend of N30,000 each.