By RAJI RASAK

Mr Babatunde Hunpe, Chairman, Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State, on Friday said that the council disengaged 266 casual workers to enable it reposition its workforce for efficiency and accountability.

Hunpe disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry on Friday.

NAN reports that the 266 workers were employed by Mr Olusegun Onilude, the immediate past chairman of the council.

According to Hunpe, the disengagement was necessary as many of the affected workers were either unproductive, engaged in ghost working, or simply absent from duty.

“We cannot continue to pay salaries to people who do not justify their pay,” he said.

Hunpe added that in some Primary Health Centres (PHCs), there were more than 20 workers on a payroll, yet not a single patient in sight.

“In some cases, workers were nowhere to be found at all. I even encountered that of a gate man during my tour of facilities, who abandoned his post for his little son to man,” he said.

The chairman noted that with the 15 PHCs in Badagry, only three operated round the clock, while the others run limited hours and remained underutilized.

He argued that such a workforce arrangement was unsustainable and unfair to the council, which struggled to meet the growing demands of the community.

Hunpe, however, clarified that the sack was not a blanket dismissal.

The chairman said that steps were already being taken to reabsorb some of the affected workers who were dedicated and productive.

Hunpe, however, stressed that his decision was borne strictly out of the need for productivity, not ” the usual tradition or sentiment.”

NAN further reports that on Aug. 29, the chairman sacked all non-pensionable staff, the affected workers received their disengagement letters on Aug. 27.

The letter which was signed by the council’s administrative arm, directed the members of staff to hand over all government property in their possession to the Admin/HR Department. (NAN)