By Emma Una

CALABAR— Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, on his first day at work, yesterday, locked out scores of workers from the Governor’s Office complex in the state capital for reporting late to work.

The governor, according to a source, reported in his office at 7.30 a.m., for duties and to his chagrin at 8.45 a.m., most workers except a few cleaners, were still not at their duty posts, prompting the governor to instruct the  security personnel to shut the gate.

According to a senior official in the Governor’s Office, the workers in the office were informed that Governor Ayade travelled to Abuja shortly after his inauguration on Saturday to attend a meeting with President Mohammadu Buhari  on Monday,  not knowing that the governor did not travel  as planned.

“Normally, when a new person resumes here, we usually come to work early because we expect that he too, with the enthusiasm of a new appointment would report early but the information we got misled us as he did not travel as planned,” a worker said.

He said the governor later pardoned the latecomers  after warning that he would  not tolerate indolence to work and henceforth anyone who comes late to office would be  disciplined as  he had to start with his office before moving to the ministries, since charity begins at home.

“We hear the meeting with the President has been shifted to Wednesday but in any case the governor pardoned us and told us to be alive to our duties as he would not tolerate indolence and idleness by workers during his time,” he said.