Edo State Government has expressed shock that casuals exist within the state’s workforce. In the aftermath of the recent protest by casual workers in the State Health Management Board, the government has put in place measures to address the issue.
To show its seriousness, the government has sacked the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the government-owned Central Hospital, Benin, Dr. Edith Kayode-Iyasere, while the Permanent Secretary of the Health Management Board, Dr. Ofure Eboreme, was demoted to the position of Director. The two were fingered to be the brain behind the large number of casual workers in the Health Management Board, Daily Independent gathered.
Didi Adodo, Commissioner for Special Duties and Labour, told Daily Independent that the Governor Adams Oshiomhole was shocked to discover the presence of a large number of casual workers in the hospital, and to show his discontent about the issue, took the decision to sack the CMD and demote the permanent secretary, to serve as a deterrent to other officials of government. “It’s shocking that there are still casual workers in the state workforce. When the governor came in (2008), I was the commissioner for lands. I met casuals in my ministry. (As a labour leader) I was a member of the anti- casualisation committee of the NLC (Nigeria Labour Congress).
The governor (then NLC president) led us to picket companies that were keeping casuals. “So, when we met casuals here (Edo State) it was shocking. He said that they should all be regularised. Those who could not be regularised we know what we’ll do. “We discovered that the casuals were in different categories. Some were young people who were justemployed to fill some vacancies; some were people who were already retired but were asked to continue their work until they were replaced; some were justcleaner, and so on,”
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