Scandal Rocks Delta Civil Service as Screening Turns ‘Political Weapon’ — Oborevwori’s 2027 Re-Election Bid Faces Storm!

The ongoing screening of civil servants in Delta State may have painted Governor Sheriff Oborovweri in dark colours! The governor is perceived to have thrown overboard his avowed commitment to rules and does not care a hoot about embezzlement of government funds by his appointees!

Oborevwori’s seeming adamance to the dynamics employed to emplace him as Governor by his benefactor and maverick former governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa bemuses political watchers who see a raging storm against his 2027 re-election bid.

The screening exercise is led by the current chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Lady Chief Roseline Amioku, a retired teacher and widow of Late Sir Tom Amioku, a former works Commissioner in Delta State.

From forced retirement cases affecting Medical Personnel in Ministry of Health to Administrative Officers and other personnel of various other ministries, agencies, boards and government parastatals, the cry is the same: Lady Amioku is on rampage, retiring civil servants against the stipulated guidelines or laws in the books.

A medical doctor who craved anonymity said he had about 3 years more but was compulsorily sent out of service by the Amioku team. Many administrative officers, still hoping to spend 10 years or more before retirement, it was learnt, had their remnant years shrinked to 4 or 5. Many civil servants were reportedly forced to abandon sworn declaration of age at time of employment for another one indicating that they left primary school at age 12, no more, no less. Some who complied with such directive and allegedly “played ball” escaped Amioku’s sledgehammer, even as some claimed they parted away with whopping one million naira. Unconfirmed reports indicate information about these clandestine activities reached the governor but were brushed aside. To Lady Amioku who was a teacher, all graduating primary or secondary school students must have been of same age! Complainants assert that the reality is that for every class of students, quite a number are below or above the age expectations for that class. Advice to Governor Oborevwori from informed members of his cabinet that the practice of tinkering the records of service of civil servants after 10 years into their employment is breach of Public Service Rule, Chapter 2, Section 1, Rule 8 (ii) fell on deaf ears. The development has fueled speculations of political witch-hunt, especially given the inconsistent retirement criteria. Confronted with the possible defense that Oborevwori may have decided to weed the civil service to pave way for new employees, an affected staff responded: “It would be unfair to rob Peter to pay Paul”.

The mounting anger in other sectors of the Civil Service combined pale into insignificance compared to the black bile in the livers of teachers in Amioku’s former educational constituency, arguably the largest of the state’s work force and worst hit by Lady Amioku’s war that has earned her the sobriquet “Assistant Governor”. The appelation stems from what many see as the “shocking loyalty of the Governor to Mrs Amioku”.

It was learnt that Lady Amioku initiated the retirement of four Permanent Secretaries based on improper interpretation of the Harmonised Retirement Age of teachers, a national act elongating their service years and retirement age to 40 and 65 respectively, whichever comes first. The action, allegedly satisfying the interests of the Chairman, Post Primary Education Board, PPEB, Prof Emmanuel Tibi, appears targeted at the Permanent Secretary at the PPEB headquarters in Asaba, one Mrs Winifred Emeni, who, he fears would act true-to-type and raise issues on disappearance of large chunk of N25million training funds approved by Governor Oborevwori.

The four permanent secretaries were already enjoying the elongation of teachers’ years of service, in keeping with the new law quickly domesticated/approved by former governor Okowa to pave way for Oborevwori’s election. Protests by the affected permanent secretaries made Governor Oborevwori concede just one year extension to them which teachers across the state see as a dangerous precedent that holds the eerie statement that teachers may forever loose the right to Permanent Secretary status they labourously secured.

“We will not let this matter lie down. This is not about the four permanent secretaries whose lawful 5-year elongation of service was cut down by Governor Oborevwori’s policy somersault. The HRA policy/law should benefit all teachers irrespective of deployment. Our destinies are all negatively affected by this injustice”, a group of teachers who spoke anonymously emphasised.

“As things stand, if Governor Oborevwori does not reverse things and give us potential to reach the PS peak and new 40/65 years service limits, we can only speak with our children via the ballot in 2027”, a different set of teachers fumed.

At the PPEB, the stage for the chaotic mass of the screening exercise, causing delays and non-payment of salaries of some staff was linked to one Mrs Edith Uka Aghedo. Receiving information on the Screening Committee expectations, Mrs Aghedo hoarded information from the PPEB which could have aided a seamless screening exercise for the board. Prof. Tibi fearing expose of the missing N25m funds allegedly schemed out Mrs Emeni, the PS in whose tenure the money was approved. He opted for Mrs Aghedo to take charge as Functioning PS who held on to three other key posts at the board. Tibi favoured Mrs Aghedo not because she is of Agbor ethnic extraction like him but because she holds questionable service records and would fall for his blackmail to turn blind eyes on financial malfeasance like the missing N25million under his watch. First, the board chairman allegedly provided cover for her to remove her own file from the Confidential Registry even as he earlier helped her warm her way to heart of Lady Amioku who saw in Mrs Edith Uka Aghedo an agent to wreck retirement anomalies on PPEB staff. For instance, it was learnt that a “ghost”, Helen Obire, was reinstated by the screening committee via a questionable memo to the Governor who “believes anything” from Lady Amikou.

It was learnt that of the over 2400 PPEB staff billed for training, only about 520 staff were trained for one day intead of 3 days, soon after the retirement of the Permanent Secretary Mrs. Emeni. Her return upon the one year extension approved by the Governor created fears in Tibi who worked hard with Mrs Edith Aghedo to keep Mrs Emeni away from the board.

Staff of PPEB had been fleeced of N3,000 for training materials for TrendAfrique’s computer training when all that was provided for in the now “missing” N25million training funds. The Chairman is alleged to pay his son as PA from PPEB funds when the so-called PA is not known to the board. A payment of N1.7 million to his PA-son, over quarters renovation the son purportedly handled, is still generating concerns at the board.

It is yet to establish whether the file of Mrs. Edith Uka Aghedo has been investigated by Amioku or whether Amioku is connected to the embezzled 25million funds meant to enlighten civil servants on the rules now flagrantly disregarded by Amioku and causing agitations in the state. Some persons who spoke anonymously questioned the moral authority of Lady Amioku for the job when she was largely an absentee-teacher moving around with her husband who served long as Commissioner in the state.

In one move, Charles Ejughemre, retired 2022 by the Head of Service was invited and reinstated by the Screening Committee. One Mrs Florence A. Ekiugbo-Onogagamue, an already screened level 17 classroom teacher that is over 60 years, was transferred by Mrs Edith Uka Aghedo, to office duties during third term against education policy that prohibits transfers during third term. Was the motive to prevent her from enjoying some benefits associated with field work? Also, Mrs Mary Madazia, a level 17 staff was wrongly retired among others.

Several organizations in the state are angered by Lady Chief Amioku’s infractions of the public service rules, and have been gearing up for battle with Governor Oborevwori in the past few weeks. But days ago, the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, JNC, of the Delta State joined the fray, issuing a 7-day ultimatum to the Governor to remember his campaign promises to workers and suspend the screening exercise, reverse the forced disengagement of civil servants as well as stop the tinkering of records of civil servants.

Despite the intervention of the JNC, many teachers said the problem of deprivation of PS status upon the elongation of service years of 40 or retirement age of 65, whichever comes first, was not part of the clamour by the JNC.

“We will fight this deprivation of a national teachers benefit and PS potential already approved by our former Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa”, they promised.

All efforts to reach Chairman, Post Primary Education Board, PPEB, Prof Emmanuel Tibi, proved abortive as at Saturday when the story was published.