Oyo State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, has described the order by the Executive Governor of the state, Engr. Seyi Makinde, that workers should resume work as an unthinkable and insensitive one.
The party disclosed this in a press statement, signed by its Secretary in the state, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun, made available to OYOINSIGHT.COM on Wednesday morning.
In the statement, the party acknowledged that there is the need to “strike a balance between the physical health and economic health of the State” as being claimed by Governor Seyi Makinde.
They, however, wrote that they do not believe that workers or civil servants should be made a sacrificial lamb in a bid to achieve this given the rising number of COVID-19 cases and the fact that its spread is now at a stage of community transmission in the state.
“If this is the best way Engr Seyi Makinde-led government hope it can “strike a balance between physical health and economic health” of the State, we of the SPN oppose and reject such an approach entirely.
“The running of the economy including its control and management should be for the purpose of improving the well-being of the citizens not to downplay the importance of their safety and health as the comment of the Governor Seyi Makinde connotes under the pretense that the economy must be running.
“It is our believe in SPN, that if the secretariat could be shut down and workers were asked to proceed on compulsory leave in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic when there was only one confirmed case and without any record of community transmission at that time, therefore, the decision of Engr Seyi Makinde-led government to now reopen the same secretariat for the purpose of resumption for any category of civil servants when the number of cases of COVID-19 in the State has not only increased significantly but also with evidence of community transmission is highly unthinkable and a height of insensitivity,” the statement read.
They stressed further that ” that if the secretariat could be shut down and workers were asked to proceed on compulsory leave in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic when there was only one confirmed case and without any record of community transmission at that time, therefore, the decision of Engr Seyi Makinde-led government to now reopen the same secretariat for the purpose of resumption for any category of civil servants when the number of cases of COVID-19 in the State has not only increased significantly but also with evidence of community transmission is highly unthinkable and a height of insensitivity.”
They also noted that both the reopening of the secretariat and the resumption order for the civil servants in level 13 and above are needless and baseless because virtually all the civil servants in level 13 and above are mostly administrative officers whose daily schedule of duty and responsibility usually revolve around organizing, coordinating and directing the activities of other civil servants in the lower cadre (level 6-12).
“Therefore, we hold that desperation of Governor Makinde to reopen the secretariat for the resumption of civil servants in the State despite increase in the number of COVID-19 infected persons in the State is to downplay the urgent need for the provision of adequate facilities for mass testing and decent centers for isolation and treatment across the State. This is high level of insensitivity and irresponsibility and we of the SPN condemn it in all ramifications,” they added.
The party then called on on the State leadership of NLC, TUC and ULC to reject the reopening of the State secretariat at a time like this when it could endanger the lives of the civil servants.
