Edo youths protest employment scheme cancellation

Youths employed under the Edo State Youth Employment Scheme on Tuesday protested over the decision of the state government to discontinue the scheme.

The aggrieved youths said they had been shut out of their offices in the various ministries and agencies by some civil servants, who told them that they had been sacked.

The state government had, on Monday, announced that the YES programme had been phased out, adding that the State Civil Service Commission would conduct an interview to appoint qualified workers from the scheme into the civil service. 

It, however, did not disclosed the reason for the discontinuation.

The statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, on June 5, 2015, had read, “It is hereby announced for the information of all employees of Edo State Youth Employment Scheme, under the Rapid Response Agency, that Government has decided to phase out the Scheme.

“However, arrangements are being put in place for the State Civil Service Commission to interview all affected employees with a view to employing those qualified to fill existing vacancies in the State Civil Service.‎‎”‎

But the protesting youths claimed that they were not properly notified even when, according ‎to them, the state government had failed to absorb the affected employees into the state civil service, since the inception of the scheme in 2009.

The spokesperson for the protesters, Victor Idonigie, said the scheme had over 12,000 beneficiaries spread across the state, whom, he said, received between N30,000 and N23,000 as salaries, depending on their academic qualifications.

He said, “When we resumed work today (Tuesday) the civil servants told us that we have been sacked. 

“They didn’t give us any reason and that was why we said that the Governor should look into the issue.”

He therefore urged the state governor to intervene in the matter and reverse the decision, which he said would render thousands of youths unemployed.

Idonigie said, “We want the Governor to reverse the decision and ensure that workers under this scheme ‎are absorbed into the state civil service as he has promised in December last year.”