The Ogun State Government has announced the recall of 12 out of the 16 workers in the State Public Service recently dismissed as a result of their unethical conducts during this year’s Teachers’ Day celebration.

“The recalled workers are directed to go back to work with effect from January 2, 2017,” Head of Service, Elder Sola Adeyemi, said in a statement issued Tuesday in Abeokuta. He disclosed that the State Government has also pardoned and directed all the 19 workers suspended in connection with their roles in the same celebration to resume at their duty posts with effect from December 1, 2016.

News Express recalls that 35 workers were sanctioned on Monday, October 31, 2016 after a Panel of Investigation set up to investigate them individually on the allegations levied against them by concerned members of the public, found them guilty of committing various infractions of the Public Service Rules. Nineteen of them were suspended while 16 were dismissed on the recommendations of the panel.

Elder Adeyemi said: “Consequent upon this, government has been receiving appeals on behalf of the affected workers from the National and State leaderships of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), traditional rulers, elders, religious leaders, eminent personalities as well as the affected workers.

“Following these interventions, government decided to revisit the matter and consequently set up machinery to carry out a case by case evaluation of the affected workers for the purpose of reviewing the sanctions and after a careful consideration of the report at the conclusion of the review exercise, government, on compassionate grounds, decided to immediately pardon 31 of the concerned workers.

“Let me state at this juncture that cases of the other remaining four dismissed workers, including Messrs Dare Ilekoya, Eniola Atiku, Nola Balogun and Akeem Ambali are still undergoing evaluation and assure you that government will come out with the conclusion in their cases in due course.

“Government appreciates the noble roles of all stakeholders for their interventions that have resulted in this review. We are particularly grateful to the leaderships of the organised labour at the national and local levels for their support.

“We equally appreciate our highly revered traditional rulers, elders, religious leaders, eminent personalities as well as other well meaning individuals for their interventions.

“Let me also use this medium to reiterate that the commitment of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration to the welfare of workers will continue to remain paramount as it pursues a tranquil industrial environment in the state.”

•Photo shows Governor Amosun.

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