By Emem Idio

YENAGOA—AUTHORITIES of the Federal University, Otuoke, FUO, Bayelsa State yesterday, allayed fears of members of staff of the institution on the ongoing staff verification exercise, assuring that it was not to witch hunt or ploy to lay off workers but to determine the number of staff and how best to deploy them for the optimum benefit of the university and job satisfaction.

Chairman of the staff verification committee and member of the Governing Council of the university, Chief Nath Ikeocha, who addressed a cross section of staff on the university campus, Otuoke, said that if discrepancies were observed, due process of the law would be followed.

Ikeocha, who was accompanied by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Seth Jaja and Mr. Funso Asubiojo, Deputy Director Tertiary Education Department, Federal Ministry of Education, said: “In our inaugural council meeting, the staff had complained about a lot of things touching on their welfare, promotions, confirmation of appointments and the likes and this is part of the process to keep to our promise that those complaints would be attended to.

“We want to make sure that our staff are happy and are properly placed. It is not an exercise to downsize or to lay off workers, we are not sacking any staff, we appreciate the challenges we have in the country at the moment and we appreciate the need for people to keep their meal ticket and we are not about dismissing any worker. But that is not to say that if discrepancies are observed that due process of the law would not be followed.”

In his remark, the VC of FUO, Professor Jaja, said council decided to embark on the verification exercise to determine the true position of staff of the institution and whether they are underpayed or over payed and whether they are well placed.