From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has employed 360 cleaners who are Edo citizens from the three senatorial districts into the state’s civil service.
The state Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, who disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the steps taken by the Okpebholo-led administration to embark on people-centred initiatives, explained that those recruited have been deployed to various government ministries and parastatals to boost the workforce.
He said that those employed by this present administration are to receive the N70, 000 minimum wage paid to all Edo State workers, showing the Okpebholo administration’s commitment to delivering good governance in all sectors. Okungbowa disclosed that the previous administration had a contractual agreement with consultants and contractors who could hire and fire at anytime it pleased them.
“Recently, the Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo directed that cleaners should be employed into the state civil service as against using consultants and contractors.
“These consultants and contractors were into business and contract with government. They were paid to employ cleaners to clean government offices, and their take home pay then was not encouraging and couldn’t take them home.
“Gov Okpebholo was not pleased with the arrangement of the Obaseki administration, and as such instructed that a direct employment should be embarked on to ensure Edo people were recruited into the state civil and public service and get paid the N70, 000 minimum wage.
“Before now, cleaners in the state were receiving N20, 000 to N30, 000. They were paid less because consultants are businessmen trading to make gains but the Okpebholo administration decided to change the narrative by giving direct employment to enhance the lives of the people and ensure they enjoy good and practical governance,” he said.
“These cleaners then under the previous administration were not government workers but workers to different contractors and consultants and job security was not guaranteed as workers under consultancy services could be sacked unceremoniously”, Okungbowa said