IMO State governor Hope Uzodinma has sacked the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Ford Ozumba.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, issued a statement in Owerri on Saturday, March 11, announcing the removal.
“Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has approved the immediate removal of Chief Ford Ozumba, the State Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, from office.
“Accordingly, His Excellency further directs that Chief Ozumba hands over to the Permanent Secretary of his Ministry with immediate effect,” the statement read.
No reason was provided for Ozumba’s dismissal.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state recently began an indefinite strike, accusing the Imo State government of interfering in the union’s election of new state executives.
NLC President Joe Ajaero claimed that the Imo government deployed armed thugs and police personnel to disrupt the election and offered bribes to delegates to influence the outcome of the election.
Ajaero also said the delegates declined the bribes, and the state government retaliated by resorting to violence to disrupt the election.
“This meddlesomeness was resisted by the delegates who refused the unholy offerings and baits to vote for their chosen candidates,” Ajaero said.
It is, however, unclear if the commissioner’s dismissal is connected with the industrial action by the workers in the state.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.