The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia on Wednesday.
“The report on the sack of Abia workers by Gov. Alex Otti is fake and unfounded,” he said.
Kanu said that the state government introduced certain measures to address the issue of ghost workers, adding that in line with its agenda to sanitise the civil service, removed names of ghost workers from the payroll of government.
“Some workers whose names were thrown up during the verification embarked upon by the government as illegally employed were affected too.
“This group comprises those who were illegally employed from December up until March and April this year,” Kanu said.
He said some of the civil servants that fall into this category had their appointment letters backdated.
“The employment of these individuals can be best described as surreptitious and a bait used to pile underserved pressure on the present administration and no responsible government would allow such a situation to continue,” he said.
Kanu also said that there were no waivers applied for the employment of workers from December to April.
According to him, there are established processes for the employment of workers in the Civil Service in Abia State. He said that due process was not followed with regard to employment and urged the people of Abia, to disregard the fake story about the alleged sack of 10,000 workers.
Kanu said that the commitment of the state government to the welfare of the workers, both those working now and the retirees, remains unwavering.
He also reiterated the resolve of the government to pay all salaries and pension arrears.
(NAN)
