Governor Uzodinma sacks commissioner

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State was approved to remove directly from the State Commission for Labor and Productivity, Ford Ozumba.

The deletion was contained in a statement issued on Monday in Owerri by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there is no reason to remove the commissioner who was directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry with immediate effect.

It is currently unclear whether Mr Ozumba’s ouster is related to the labor strike in the country.

Workers in the country, under the auspices of the Nigerian Labor Congress, on March 8, embarked on an indefinite strike. alleged interference of the Imo State Government in the election of the new state executive of the union.

The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, accused the Imo government of using armed thugs and personnel of the Nigeria Police to disrupt the conduct of union elections in the state.

The NLC president said the Imo State Government was “seeking to influence the outcome of the election in the state,” by giving gratuities to delegates for voting for “chosen candidates”.

“This interference was resisted by the delegates who rejected the unholy sacrifices and baits in favor of their chosen candidates,” he said.

Mr. Ajaero said the state government was angered by the rejection of the delegates and resorted to violence to disrupt the exercise.

When contacted on Thursday, Governor Uzodinma’s spokesperson, Oguike Nwachukwu, denied the allegation.

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Mr. Nwachukwu told PREMIUM TIMES that there was no violence against NLC members in the state.

“The allegations are baseless,” he said, without elaborating.

(AT)