By Ayodele Oni
The Transition Committee set up by Governor-elect of Osun state, Ademola Adeleke has announced that civil servants in the state will be made to account for some of misdeed of outgoing administration of Mr Gboyega Oyetola.
Spokesman of the committee, Olawale Rasheed while reacting to the last minute approval for recruitment of 1500 teachers by Governor Oyetola described it panic hiring of personnel by out going administration which will not stand the test of time.
The All Progressive Congress, (APC) led administration is expected to terminate in November 28 having lost July governorship election to the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).
Governor Oyetola in a statement by the commissioner for information, Funke Egbemode, explained that
“Following an initial recruitment of 1000 teachers, the Executive Council today approved the recruitment of additional 1500 teachers, bringing the total number of teachers recruited by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administration to 2500.
“This approval, which is a continuation of the process to address manpower deficit in the education sector of the state, is one of the steps the Governor has taken to turn around the fortunes of education in the last 45 months.
“Recall that the administration had earlier in the year recruited and trained 1000 teachers that were posted across the state through a credible process involving JAMB.
“For this new phase, a special committee has been constituted to work with the Ministry of Education on the implementation of the recruitment.
“Priority will be given to rural areas in the posting of teachers to ensure that those in rural communities are not at a disadvantage”
The PDP Transition Committee, also in a statement by its spokesman, described Oyetola’s recruitment as panicky hiring of personnel as “a deliberate ploy to expand payroll and financially cripple incoming government.”
He expressed shock and dismay at the undisguised push of the outgoing Governor to further complicate the poor State of Osun economy due to his deep seated anger and desire to punish Osun people for voting him out of office.
“The Committee noted that in the last two months, Oyetola has illegally employed thousands of personnel without consideration for the state’s capacity to pay and without any workforce planning, leading to governance driven by vendetta and desire to run the state aground.
“As a freshly elected Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has a well studied plan to fill the manpower gap within the educational sector and other areas of needs within the state without further complicating the already troubled workforce and over-bloated remuneration space.
“A tested scheme is already in place to bridge the workforce gap within the educational sector and a proper financial analysis has been concluded to address the knotty question of workers’ pay and entitlements.
“The plan to illegally recruit thousands of teachers and O-Yes personnel is therefore another evil agenda designed to disrupt the incoming Governor’s agenda to normalize Osun finances and restore dignity of labour through regular payment of salaries, gratuities and pensions. This move is neither altruistic nor a patriotic rendering of service.
“The goal is to deepen financing gridlock, plunge Osun workers into another era of pain and hardship and perpetually place the workforce in poverty and the state in under-development.
“As an incoming Governor with a popular mandate, Senator Ademola Adeleke will not allow the inhuman agenda of Governor Oyetola to prevail on Osun people.
“It is on this note that we call on Osun people to beware of involvement in politically motivated employment process that won’t stand the test of time.
“We urge job seekers and all other stakeholders to distance themselves from this desperate ploy as any illegal recruitment won’t be recognized by the incoming government.
“As we have noted in several statements, any bureaucrat who aids and abets the several illegalities being cooked up and executed by the outgoing government will be held to account.
“Illegal disposal of government assets, fraudulent contract payments, scamming disposal of governments assets, illegal recruitment, unconstitutional conduct of council elections and others will also be sternly revisited after November 28th. His Excellency’s vow to Osun people to deliver on good governance remains sacrosanct.”
