Precisely on Thursday 23rd of May, 2024, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke pronounced and reapproved full-time job for the sacked freelance staff working under the condition of *'casual engagement'* in the state-owned broadcasting industry, Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, OSBC.
The governor directed the immediate reabsorption of the casual workers his government had earlier sacked by the obnoxious Executive Order that invalidated the employments of all the workers employed under the immediate-past administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, CON now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
Recall that the incumbent government, upon assumption of office, had, through its sadistic and inhuman style of governance and vengeance policies, invalidated most of the policies undertaken by the Oyetola's administration prior to the expiration of his tenure with little or no justification for such actions.
It is on record that the 66 freelance staff of the state broadcasting station who had been working under casual arrangement for years in the Corporation were all considered for permanent employment and subsequently recruited into the State Civil Service by the Oyetola administration as they all received their appointment letters before the erstwhile governor exited office.
For record purpose, it is in the practice of the Corporation since its establishment in 1991 to recruit freelance staff in order to complement the efforts of the permanent staff whereas the Corporation usually regularize the appointment of the existing freelance staff whenever there is employment opportunity or when the state can accommodate it.
Finding has shown that many of the junior or top employees of the Corporation either serving or retired went through the practice of freelancing before they were eventually recruited when the opportunity came.
Sequel to the arbitrary Executive Order maliciously issued by the incumbent government few hours after coming into office, all the 66 beneficiaries of the permanent jobs were stripped off their employments as their letters of employment were equally withdrawn and declared invalid. What a bizarre development!
The incumbent governor who in May, 2024 reapproved the permanent jobs for the affected individuals is yet to fulfill the promise two months after. The Governor's approval for the full time jobs was reported during the commissioning of the purported new digital facilities purchased for the corporation. But ever since then, nothing has been heard from the government as to the issuance of appointment letters to the affected individuals. Instead, the government has been paying a lip service to it, to the detriment of the welfare of the citizenry.
Fortunately enough, i was one of the few individuals who swiftly raised their voices louder and clear in reaction to the supposed futile pronouncement, debunking the claim by the State government that it was a fresh appointment.
Part of my position in the opinion piece was that, contrary to the claims or picture being painted by the Governor Adeleke media handlers that the 66 freelance staff had been recruited by their principal, the record was set straight telling the whole world that the affected individuals had been gainfully employed by the Oyetola's administration, and that no new employment was made by the incumbent government.
Now, going by the palpable failure in the overblown recruitment saga vis-a-vis the unwarranted delay in the regularization and issuance of appointment letters to the affected freelance staff two months after, the critics have been vindicated as it further shows the rots in the system.
The raging questions agitating the minds of the discerning citizens are; why would the state government withdraw the appointment letters in the first instance for no just cause if not to score a cheap political point? Why did the government withdraw the appointment letters without immediate replacement as expected? Why did it take the government so long to reabsorb the affected individuals knowing full well it was the cause of it? Why hasn't the state government issued fresh employment letters to the casual workers two months after the executive pronouncement? Are they saying the employment was only announced in order to be reported by the media and have media publicity?
Is the government not aware that the affected hands haven't received a dime from anywhere since the governor made the dubious pronouncement? Where would the affected entities receive their salaries for the months of May, June and July? Can the government which hasn't issued appointment letters of engagement pay the outstanding three months' salary arrears?
It is unfortunate that the incumbent government had dashed their hope having unnecessarily withdrawn their appointment letters given to them by the Oyetola administration without any replacement up until now. It is also unfortunate that the state government has been playing a prank with the lives of many people particularly the youths, all in the name of politics.
Today, many of the youth-oriented programmes are no longer in place as volunteers of O'YES, O'MEAL, recruited but sacked, school teachers, health workers among others are crying for reinstatement. What a pitiable circumstance?
A visit to any of the OSBC conglomerates will, no doubt, expose one to the emotional ridicule the state government has subjected the affected individuals to as many of them are now floating without specific status. They are confused because they have no official status. They don't even know what to call themselves. What an anomaly!
The truth is not farfetched, as to the circumstance and this is what the incumbent government is known for. There are instances where the government promises and failed. It is on record that the incumbent Governor Adeleke during the build up to the 2022 Osun State governorship election, promised heaven on earth to the extent that the workers were assured of full clearing of all the backlog of their half-salary arrears owed by the state within six months of coming into office. But up till today, the backlog of the half-salary arrears is yet to be totally cleared as pledged, instead the state government resorted to piecemeal quarterly payment, reneging totally from the electoral promise made to the civil servants despite crazy -humongous funds available to the state presently.
The incumbent government also promised to attract foreign and local investors to invest hugely into the economy of the state but lo and behold, no single foreign investor has so far visited the state. Governor Adeleke has not been able to attract even a tooth pick producer to the state, 18 months into the life of his four-year tenure as governor. As at today, the state can no longer boast of the hitherto much-enjoyed Ease-of-Doing-Business! What a shameful situation?
Information has it that the Board and Management of the OSBC have been recruiting another set of freelance staff and they have been issuing them freelance appointment letters on a #20,000 stipend. But to the surprise of many, the same management has been withdrawing same letters from them issuing fresh ones with no indication that the beneficiaries could be given permanent appointment in future if the opportunity comes as it is boldly written on the new freelance appointment letters that they are recruited as volunteers not as freelance staff. What a confused situation!
The implication of this is that the newly-recruited freelance staff stand no chance of being permanently absorbed. Rather they are only recognized as volunteers without hope of gaining permanent jobs. Many bizarre things are happening in the state under the administration of Governor Adeleke. But our trumpet will continue to blow in holding government accountable, responsible and responsive to its obligations not only to entrench good governance but to ensure that the people particularly the common man on the street receives whatever is due to him from our common patrimony.
May God heal our land!
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Daniel Adewole Awe Medical Center is a healthcare facility located in Ilesa, Osun State, providing quality primary and secondary healthcare services to the community and its environs.
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