Godwin Obaseki, the Governor of Edo State has allegedly approved the sack of 513 workers from the Edo State Sports Council with effect from Monday, March 21.
It was gathered from the memo containing the directives to lay off the said workers that the reason was due to the institution’s transition from Edo State Sports Council to Edo State Sports Commission. The affected workers which include athletes, coaches, and administrative staff were drawn from Junior, Senior, and management colleagues.
Nevertheless, the sacked workers were not sent away empty-handed as they are not to be denied their one-month salary, in addition to they’ll begin receiving pension with effect from April 2022.
This news did not sit well with the workers who were relieved of their duties as they occupied the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and adjoining streets in a massive protest.
A few of the protesters said they were astonished to receive news of their dismissal to top it all they were asked to reapply as casual staff.
One of the protesters Patience Igbiti who was a former Paralympian, claims to have served in the sector for over 20years and has rejected international job offers because she chose to stay and train people in her state. She is however left in utter confusion as to why she has been dismissed.
Another affected staff, a visually impaired athlete, Friday Aigbange, when asked about his take on the issue said:
“I believe that the Governor did not consider us at all. We worked for him and voted for him and fought for him, now he has disappointed us.”
Mr. Yusuf Ali, the Commission’s Chairman who addressed the protesters promised to relay their complaints to the Governor.
