The 32 sacked laboratory technologists at the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, have appealed to the state Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to intervene in their case and redress the wrongs by the council and management of the institution.
The embattled former workers, under the aegis of the 32 Concerned Laboratory Technologists, said the governor’s kind intervention would restore life and hope to them and their families as well as bridge the gap in EKSU students’ academic needs, which their exit had created.
They are some of the 800 workers of the university sacked on December 5, 2019 over irregular appointment and sundry allegations. The figure has, however, reduced following the reinstatement of some of them.
The technologists, who alleged that “plans are being concluded to place adverts requesting applications to replace us,” appealed to the governor to step in “to ensure our unjust disengagement be reversed so that our lawful employment does not end up in the trash.”
In a letter to the governor, the workers stated that the claim that they were not regular workers was not true, arguing that they were employed in 2016 after undergoing the employment process.
The process, they said, included applying for the position of technologists and attending oral and written tests after being shortlisted, followed by an interview by a team headed by the then vice chancellor and receipt of letters titled, ‘Offer of permanent appointment,’ adding that their appointments were confirmed in 2018 and they were promoted in 2019.
They stated, “Mr Governor Sir, one finds it difficult to define the context of ‘irregular employment’ that they claimed we were recruited through after going through the norms of employment and offered permanent appointment. This is injustice meted to us and other staff members that were recruited in 2016.”
Speaking against the backdrop of a statement by the council that irregular staff members recruited during that period were disengaged, the concerned workers appealed to the governor “to conduct an independent verifiable investigation on this. All we plead for is equity, justice and fair play.”
Among others, they lamented that the “immediate and extended families of those disengaged would be in untold hardship and psychological pains as we have been unjustifiably relieved of our jobs.”
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