If the alleged reports of the just concluded verification exercise carried on members of the civil servants by the Edo State Government was geared towards downsizing workforce in the state there is indication that about four judges might lose their job.
The four judges who are serving at the state magistrate courts were among the 1800 staffers in the state civil service that were allegedly not cleared in the verification exercise carried out by the state office of the Information Communication Technology Agency.
BDSUNDAY reports that the judges were among the 183 staff whose names were made available to the public.
It was however gathered a total of 368 staff of the ministry of justice and judiciary were not cleared as a result of various discrepancies ranging from alleged age falsification, no primary school leaving certificate, affidavit in place of primary school leaving certificate, conflicting names on primary school leaving certificate, and to whom it may concern in place of primary school leaving certificate among others.
Some were said to have completed their primary school at the age of seven and nine as well as no evidence of primary school leaving certificate.
The judges who were not cleared during the verification exercise were between level 16 step eight and nine and level 12 step four respectively.
Their current position indicated that there are chief magistrate grade 1 and magistrate grade 1respectively.
A document exclusively obtained by BDSUNDAY in Benin City added that four directors between grade level 17, step nine, grade level 16, step nine and grade 15 step, one serving at the ministry of justice and judiciary were also not cleared over alleged age falsification.
One of the directors was alleged to have had his primary school leaving certificate at the age of nine, two have no primary school leaving certificate while the other submitted affidavit in place of primary school leaving certificate.
Also affected were seven legal officers between grade level 15, 14 and 10, two principal registrars of grade level 12, and four state counsel of grade level 10 among others.
The state government had last week at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting on education in Benin City said the exercise was not to witch hunt anybody and it was also not geared towards downsizing of staff in the state civil service.
He however added that the affected staff would have their monthly salaries withheld in line with the civil service commission guidelines.
The development apart from not going down well with the organized labour in the state they however threatened to down tool if any of its member is sacked by the state government.
Emma Ademokun, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had in an interview in Benin City however described the reports of the verification committee as “government working document”.
Meanwhile in a bulletin by the state chapter of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) however urged the state government to give the affected members of the union another chance to clear themselves properly.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH
