Barely two months to the sack of 1,500 teachers by Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke. It was reported that four out of the 1,500 teachers have died as a result of depression.
However, SUNFORD EXPRESS gathered that those sacked teachers were recruited by the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola during his last months as governor of the state.
Adeleke, announced the dismissal of the teachers during his inauguration as the governor of Osun State on Sunday 27th, November 2022, stating that their recruitment was illegal and will not be acceptable by this administration.
The coordinator of the Sacked Teachers Association, Mr. Wasiu Owoyemi, announced at the press briefing in Osogbo the state capital on Monday 23rd, January 2023 stating that four out of the sacked teachers have died as a result of depression due to the nullification of their appointment by the state governor.
Owoyemi, speaking on behalf of the sacked teachers, pleaded to the state governor to reconsider his decision by bringing them back to class, he pleaded that the governor should save their souls and have mercy on them, for there are great numbers of dependents on them. He further stated that some of them had resigned from their work engagements with previous employers of labour, immediately after they got a notification of their appointment as class teachers.
Owoyemi said:
“Your Excellency sir, it will be of great concern to know that the effect of nullifying our appointments as class teachers had already been felt as we have recorded no fewer than four deaths among us as a result of depression of nullifying the appointment as class teachers."
“We have resigned from our work engagements with previous employers of labour. Hence, we have no other places to go other than this offer. We pray our hopes will not be dashed as we rely heavily on this job. We do not want to be subjects of ridicule and mockery by our previous employers any longer and colleagues who were not part of the recruitment process or those who ridicule us as jobless graduates.
“Your Excellency sir, save our soul and have mercy on us. We are your children and siblings. There are great numbers of dependents on us. Nullifying or terminating our appointments at such a time like this is like being thrown into the sea of hopelessness.
“Your Excellency Sir, we can feel your concern or reservation on certain actions taken by the past administration. However, it will be a great honor if our plights and appeals are given favorable consideration.”
The Special Assistant on Community Communications to the state governor, Mr. Tunde Busari, reacting to the statement of Mr. Owoyemi that there is no going back on the sack of the former class teachers by the state governor because their recruitment into the state payroll was smuggled by the immediate past governor.
Mr. Busari said:
“Those engaging in demonstrations are APC members smuggled into the state payroll by former Governor Oyetola. By virtue of the Executive Order issued by Mr. Governor, those illegally employed remain sacked and are no longer staff of the state government. No amount of demonstration and blackmail can change that reality.”
“Those APC members are now playing the script. They have failed from the beginning as this administration will not bow to unjustified demands from those who collaborated to deepen Osun's financial woes,” Busari added.