A rights group, Justice for Good Governance (JGG) has called on Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to investigate and review irregular promotions made across the local governments under the immediate past administration.
The group made the call in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Mr Dotun Olayiwola and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan.
The group had raised the alarm to seek the intervention of the governor to what they termed injustice at the local governments.
The group said that it had received several complaints from different affected persons at the council level, urging the governor to investigate and correct such discrepancies in the spirit of justice.
“We believe Makinde is a listening governor who does not support injustice to anyone. Like he did on the issue of Permanent Secretaries, we want him to help review that of LGs too in the state,” it said.
It alleged that the irregular appointments were made at a time when the immediate past Head of Service, Mrs Hannah Ogunesan was the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
“We are appealing to the governor to help investigate the injustice done in respect of irregular appointments made by Ogunesan.
“We want it revisited and corrected to rid the service of disaffection, bitterness, rancour and ill feelings generated by that act of nepotism among officers in Agric, Admin, Education, Works and Finance departments,” it said.
It said that Ogunesan had reportedly appointed the officers above many others who were their seniors without recourse to merit, seniority, competence and experience as provided in the service guidelines for appointment.
“During the administration of former Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, Mrs Ogunesan wielded a lot of influence, power and authority.
In the last year of that administration she allegedly became nepotistic.
“A source at the council level told us that she allegedly appointed officers from her town, Saki in Oke-Ogun as Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA) against the provisions of the scheme of service,” it said.
The group said that the injustice done by Ogunesan had created a problem which led to agitation for appointment as HLGAs on extraneous basis and outside the provisions of the scheme.
“What the Local Government Service Commission should have done after the departure of Ajimobi’s government was to revisit and review the irregular appointments as the state government did on the issue of permanent secretaries.
“We appeal to the LGSC to ensure promotions are done in accordance with the scheme of service which provides that appointments should be on merit, seniority, competence and experience.
“The implication of appointing surbodinate officers over their superior is dangerous. we want LGSC to stick to the provisions of the scheme of service in filling vacancies for the post HLGA,” the group said.
It said that the matter was yet to be barely laid before the governor by the
LGSC, saying the governor would have intervened as a true lover of justice and fairness.
The appeal to the governor is that if permanent secretaries found to be irregularly appointed were sacked by this government, heads of LG appointed against established process and procedure should suffer the same fate to serve the cause of justice, fairness and equity.
