Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 suspended the managing director of a hospital, Dr. Kayode Iyasere, and ordered the demotion and compulsory retirement of the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Ofure Eboreme.
This is coming after casual workers in the hospital protested on Thursday, November 30, 2014 over unpaid salaries after they accused the state government of ignoring them.
It was reported that comrade Oshiomhole who gave orders six months ago that all casual workers should be retained as staffs, was surprised by the protest and decided to handle the officers for dereliction of duty.
The crisis began following the governor’s directive that all revenues accrued in the hospital should be paid into the government’s account.
This directive according to reports, made it impossible for the hospital to pay the casual workers since they are no longer in control of the revenues.
According to source at the establishment, “These casual workers have been very helpful because government has not employed workers for a long time now, and as a result, there is paucity of staff.
“These casuals help as security, generator operatives, and ward orderlies. They sometimes help nurses and doctors in the wards. In fact, the Permanent Secretary, who is a surgeon, has been managing the situation to ensure that the place moves forward.
“Unfortunately for them, they could no longer pay the casual workers because of the new government policy that all revenues be paid into the government account. So they owed the workers and that led to the protest. It is unfortunate that the Permanent Secretary was affected in this shake up but the man is the one that has been trying to make this hospital work,” he explained
Commissioner for labor and establishment, Comrade Didi Adodo, has however said the protest was an affront to government as the governor, “six months ago, ordered that all casual workers should be regularized. The management of the hospital, including the Permanent Secretary, is supposed to implement government policies but they failed to do that. The worst of it all, is the issue of monthly payment of N10, 000 to the casual workers when the minimum wage is N18, 000.”
Adodo hinted that the Comrade Adams had already directed that all casual workers in the state should be regularized and the retired ones should be paid off as the required fund to pay them had been released by the state government. “That is why government felt embarrassed by the protest.
