Igbo think tank Aka Ikenga today came down heavily on the Rochas Okorocha-led Imo State Government for suddenly laying off 3,000 workers and concessioning the 19 parastatals where they worked. Aka Ikenga in a statement issued in Lagos and signed by the President, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, described the action as unacceptable. The statement said:

“Aka Ikenga has patiently and meticulously read the exchange of correspondence between the Government of Imo State and the 3,000 workers of the 19 Imo parastatals. Imo State Government last month suspended the 3,000 workers of the 19 parastatals and asked them to reapply. The workers cried out that they have been disengaged. The Nigeria Labour Congress’ intervention does not seem to have yielded any fruit. The workers are now reduced to begging!

“The facts on the ground are that Imo Government has concessioned the 19 parastatals and the workers are now out of job. Some of these workers have put in more than 30 years in service and are looking forward to retirement with the attendant payment of gratuity and pensions.

“This will never happened because their employer has directed them to reapply. In other words, the workers have been sacked or laid off and can only come in as new workers once they reapply.

“Aka Ikenga condemns this Imo government action directed at the sons and daughters of Imo State, at the Daddies and Mummies of Imo State and at the grand parents of the same Imo State.

How can a worker go to bed knowing he is a staff of the Imo State Government and then wakes up to hear the news that he is no longer an employee of his own government!

“Aka Ikenga condemns this in the strongest term. It is nothing but wickedness of man against man. How callous can those in government be? Do they know that “no condition is permanent?”

“Aka Ikenga has heard it repeatedly said that the Imo State Government is not owing its employees. What about 3,000 workers who are neither declared redundant nor retired? The Civil Service Laws of this country protect government employees and nobody has the right to throw workers into the market just like that!

“Aka Ikenga has heard the Government lament the low income it now receives. May we remind all that Imo and Abia states are oil producing areas and that the Abia State Government is being encouraged to re-engage fully those non-indigenes it sacked a couple of years ago. Imo State must not engage in self destruction. A word is a enough for the wise!”

•Photo shows Aka Ikenga President Goddy Uwazurike.