108 oil workers ‘illegally employed’ by Okorocha sacked by Imo govt

The Imo government has announced the sacking of 108 workers of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC).

The workers were laid off for being “illegally employed” by the administration of  Rochas Okorocha, former governor of the state.

Emeka Ihedioha, the immediate past governor, had in June 2019, set up an eight-man committee to probe the activities of Okorocha’s administration.

In January 2020, the panel had submitted its report, alleging that Okorocha diverted over N6 billion from ISOPADEC.

It had also alleged that some managing directors of the commission colluded with Okorocha to misappropriate its funds.

According to a statement by Damian Oparah, special adviser to Charles Prie, managing director of ISOPADEC, the report revealed that the sacked workers were engaged without due process and approval of the existing board at the time.

“The Committee after their investigations recommended the withdrawal from services of the Commission, all the one hundred and eight workers that were illegally employed by the Okorocha administration without due processes and the approval of the existing Board at that period,” the statement read.

“The employments were not done in consonance with Laws that established the Commission.

“The Dr. Romanus Ezeogu committee which was set up by former administration of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was mandated to do a painstaking and holistic investigation on the activities of ISOPADEC with a view to making the Commission more effective.

“The Committee discovered the affected workers were employed illegally, without due processes.

“Based on the findings and recommendations of the Dr. Ezeogu’s committee, the Board of ISOPADEC has therefore approved the disengagements of all the One Hundred and Eight (108) Workers of the Commission whose appointments did not follow due processes and were illegally done as contained in the Dr. Ezeogu’s committee report, as they were employed without the approval of the then ISOPADEC Board Members.

“The Commission wishes to inform the affected workers whose appointment have been terminated to vacate their offices, and handover all Government and ISOPADEC property in their possessions to their Head of departments or the most senior staff in the various departments.”