MAKURDI, Nigeria — About 2,484 civil servants who were abruptly terminated by Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia in June have issued a 30-day ultimatum for their reinstatement.
They warn that failing to meet their demands will trigger legal action.
The aggrieved workers made their position known in a letter penned by their counsel, Mr. Samuel Irabor, and delivered to the Secretary to the State Government, SSG.
Titled ‘Notice of Demands and 30 Days Pre-Action Notice,’ the letter was sighted by journalists on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
The letter asserts that the workers were lawfully employed between December 2022 and March 2023 and had received proper employment letters.
They claim to have executed their duties without hindrance or official queries.
Alongside reinstatement, the terminated employees are also demanding payment of back salaries and allowances.
“It is the complaint of our client that by a press statement on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the Government of Benue State arbitrarily terminated their contract of employment for no cause,” read part of the letter. It added, “Painfully, our clients are owed arrears of salaries and allowances from their various periods of employment till the time of this notice.”
The letter points out that the Benue State Executive Council, the state’s highest decision-making body, had initially approved and authorized their employment.
Thus, their sudden termination is seen as an arbitrary act that did not follow due process.
“Take notice that at the expiration of the pre-action period, we have the instructions of our clients to initiate, and maintain till judgment, legal action to ventilate the above demands,” warned Irabor in the letter.
The sacked workers are hopeful that the matter will not end up in court, expressing their trust that the state government will opt for a resolution that adheres to due process.
Governor Alia has been under fire since his controversial decision to sack civil servants employed between May 2022 and March 2023, a move just a week after he assumed office.
The governor also reversed all promotions, including those of permanent secretaries, adding another layer of discontent among the state’s civil servants.
The bold move by the terminated employees to demand their jobs back within a month signals an impending showdown that could have far-reaching implications for labor relations in Benue State, and possibly, the entire country.
Legal experts and political analysts are keenly watching to see how the state government will respond to this ultimatum, as the clock ticks towards a potential legal battle.
