Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has relieved no fewer than one thousand civil servants in the state of their jobs, mostly teachers.
The development raised concerns among citizens of the state with many worried about the way forward for the affected workers.
In his reaction, Soludo said in a statement obtained by newsmen that the relieved teachers were employed in a hazy manner.
The Governor said the affected persons have been examined and found not qualified for the job.
His Press Secretary, Chris Aburime, said all qualified teachers in the state were duly retained and not sacked.
According to him, the present administration discovered that most of the affected teachers who happened to be part of the Parents/Teachers Association were recruited into the state’s teaching system in the last days of the previous government.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Governor has been drawn to publications on protest by Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) teachers, purportedly converted to permanent staff in Anambra schools.
“The protesters, who barricaded the entrance of the State House of Assembly, displayed placards with various inscriptions, claiming to have been engaged by the State government before the termination of their jobs.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no qualified teacher in the State’s school system has been relieved of his/her appointment.
“The affected PTA teachers were “converted” to the school system in the last days of the last administration in irregular, hazy circumstances.
“They were only asked to regularise their employment with the government by taking part in the online teachers’ recruitment test.”
The Anambra State government has since advertised 5,000 vacancies in the Health and Education sectors, in which over 31,500 were shortlisted for Computer Based Test.
The test is scheduled for Saturday. June 11.