Staff audit: Osun workers threaten showdown over demand for bank statement

Workers in Osun State are lamenting the planned staff audit and workers' verification by the state government.

The new twist is the insistence of the state government for the workers to produce a record of their bank statements.

The Ademola Adeleke administration had notified the state's workforce of plans to conduct a staff audit.

Governor Adeleke in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed had also assured the state workforce that the audit would strengthen the capacity of the government to satisfy the needs of the workers.

The labour unions had kicked against the exercise, accusing the state government of not carrying the workers along in the proposed audit.

Though, the same labour unions stated that they were not against the exercise.

Earlier in the week, the academic and non-academic staff of state-owned higher institutions in a press statement urged the government to decentralise the exercise as it was impossible for all the workers to converge in a central location for the exercise.

The workers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, College of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU and Non-academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions made this known in a joint statement in Osogbo on Tuesday.

Speaking on behalf of the unions, Fatai Afolabi, ASUP Chairman, Osun Poly, Iree, maintained that they were not against the staff audit for the Osun workforce but alleged that the consultant engaged by the state government was not competent.

They also asked the state government to review the audit procedure or be ready to face industrial action.

Speaking, Busola Adebowale, lamented that the exercise would cause a lot of hardship on the workers.

According to her, "Imagine that they want to do staff verification and they are asking that we submit our bank statements.

"It is really outrageous. Honestly this is outrageous."

Another worker, Ademola Olasunkanmi also berated the government for demanding for a bank statement for the workers' verification exercise.

"Osun workers have suffered a lot within the past 10 years. We suffered in the hands of the Federal Government when they asked us to get the Bank Verification Number, BVN.

"They asked us to get our National Identification Number, NIN. We suffered. Now, the state government is asking us to get bank statements," he lamented.

Another citizen, Charity Ogunsanmi queried the rationale behind demanding for a bank statement.

"They pay our salaries through banks. Do they think we are ghost workers? It is the government that should notify the banks to get such statements from them," she declared.

Already, there is apprehension among workers as the various demands put forward by the contractor have been causing panic.

According to the workers, they were required to present bank statements from 2016 and pension statements from 2010.