El-Rufai okays sack of 600 FCT environment workers
From Okumephuna Chukwunwike, Abuja
I N furtherance of his reform agenda, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai has approved the sack of about 600 workers of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).
He announced the sack on Wednesday while receiving members of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), FCT chapter.
The minister said majority of people to be affected by the retrenchment are those who are not qualified to be there and those corrupt officers.
His words: "Many of them are not qualified to do the jobs they were hired to do, whereas we have millions of qualified graduates roaming the streets with the necessary qualifications".
"The workers of AEPB have a reputation of corruption. They are not doing their works. They are fraudulent and their files are all there", he added.
He informed the union that it was their responsibility to help the government retrench those that are not qualified for the job, adding that they were cogs in the wheel of the project for the smooth running of the government.
El-Rufai pledged to pay all the entitlements and gratuities of those to be affected by the sack, adding that his administration was laying more emphasis on young educated graduates instead of redundant old ones.
"There is the need to make choices in this current situation because the country will not be in peace until our youths are given jobs", he said.
He lamented that young graduates were roaming the streets with best qualifications while those who are not qualified "have the jobs and are not doing them well".
Earlier in his remarks, the union's FCT chapter Chairman, Abdulahi Musa Abba appealed to the minister to temper justice with mercy in his sack agenda.
He said: "Most of the workers to be retrenched are family men and may turn their families into beggars if retrenched. We are appealing to you to please see what you can do in this area.
Abba also appealed to the minister to direct the FCT Water Board to stop further deductions from their workers' salaries in the name of pensions scheme.
Earlier, el-Rufai said that "the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has no right to interfere in the fixing of fuel price since it is never under its jurisdiction".
According to el-Rufai, "the issue of petroleum products price increase is something that is clearly not within the jurisdiction of the NLC, and, therefore it cannot justify their embarking on industrial action to oppose the increase".
