The Abia State government has dismissed reports circulating on social media that eight directors were sacked at the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA), describing the claims as “false, baseless, and unfounded.” According to Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, the report is part of an ongoing campaign of calumny driven by embittered opposition elements.
“The truth is that eight directors have proceeded on retirement leave in line with civil service rules, and none of them were sacked,” Ekeoma clarified. He emphasized that the government’s silence on previous false allegations could have led the public to believe them, prompting the need to set the record straight.
Ekeoma noted that despite the intense media onslaughts aimed at inciting the public against the government, the present administration remains committed to reforming and sanitizing the civil service. The goal, he stated, is to create a functional and robust civil service that will outlive the current government and continue to drive good governance and sustainable development.
This development comes amidst reports of mass sackings in other sectors, such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where seven directors and over 90 senior management staff lost their jobs. Similarly, Aero Contractors was recently asked by the Senate to recall over 600 workers sacked from the company. However, the Abia government’s swift denial of the fake news underscores its commitment to transparency and accuracy.
The statement reads is part:
“In the last few days, some opposition elements have been spreading false information on social media that 8 Directors were sacked in the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA).
“This is to emphatically state that the report is false, baseless and unfounded. It’s part of the ongoing anti people and anti Abia campaign of calumny being driven by some embittered opposition elements. Ordinarily, we would have ignored this brazen act of of irresponsibility like we had done on many occasions, but because our silence could make unsuspecting members of the public assume that the allegation is true, we thought it appropriate to put the record straight.
“There are 8 Directors who just proceeded on their retirement leave in line with CivilServicerules, and none of them was sacked.
“In spite of the intense but reckless media onslaughts geared towards inciting the public against the government through false misrepresentations by some persons who hitherto profiteered from the past corrupt system in Abia, the present government shall continue to strive to reform and sanitise the Civil Service with a view to creating a functional and robust Civil Service that would outlive the present government and continue to serve as the engine room for good governance and sustainable development.”
