Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has fagged off staff audits across the state public service, which started with his biometric capture to clean up the payroll system, validating the actual number of state workforce.

He added that the step was further taken to establish areas of vacancies across various sectors of the public service and as well authenticate the data of the state workforce.

The governor explained that, “We also need to confirm existing vacancies within the public service. I have earlier issued a directive for the collation of vacancies for teachers and health workers. The compilation is almost completed. The outcome will then provide what we call data-driven management of our public service”.

“We are ascertaining the number of teachers we need in our schools. Our team is checking out the number of science, English, mathematics, social science and other teachers as well as which schools need what type of teachers”.

Senator Adeleke maintained that, his administration must fill up existing vacancies within the education, health, and other sub-sectors in the state.

The governor who disclosed that offices of the Deputy Governor and the Speaker of the House of Assembly would be first given priority, assured that the exercise would not be a witch-hunt one but would strengthen the capacity of the state government to satisfy the needs of the workers, the members of the public and the state leadership.

He, however disclosed that the data capturing was preceded by a close door meeting with the state labour leadership where processes and procedures were firmed up to ensure protection and fulfillment of the interest of all stakeholders.

The statement stressed:” I want to assure workers and other stakeholders that the staff audit is not a witch-hunt. Our administration has workers’ welfare as number one on our governance agenda. So we will not take any action that will negatively affect formal and informal workers”.

“I assure the public that we are aware of the existing vacancies in our schools and health facilities.The audit report will provide a strongfoundation for the recruitment of new teachers and health workers which our administration will embark upon after the ongoing exercise”, Governor Adeleke posited.

(Sunday Tribune)