ABEOKUTA—The Ogun State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has urged civil servants in the state to disregard insinuations in some quarters that the state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun plans to down size the workforce in the state if re-elected.

The NLC also confirmed the release of the sum of N1.5 billion by the state government to offset deductions from salary of state and local government workers.

Chairman of the the NLC in Ogun State, Comrade Akeem Ambali, while briefing newsmen in Abeokuta after a meeting with representatives of the state government in Abeokuta, yesterday, charged civil servants to go about their duties without any fear of disengagement.

Noting that the Amosun administration has shown commitment to their welfare, he stated that “the purported plan to disengage labour leaders in the public service of Ogun State, including myself, and the purported plan to retrench 7,000 workers on the re-election of Governor Ibikunle Amosun has been dispelled.

“The state government has confirmed the rumour as baseless, unsubstantiated, wicked and political. We know that there are statutes of employment dictated by laws and norms and we believe that the state government, as a law abiding Government, will not do the contrary.

“We are also of the opinion that workers should go about their lawful duties without fear of molestation or premature disengagement from service”, Ambali said.