Latest from the Imo State owned Broadcasting Radio/TV Station, is that a gate man, who opened the entrance gate to let Mrs Vivian Ottih, who was recently suspended on the orders of the Acting Director General of IBC, Ezikiel Opara has been sacked from work.
Narrating her ordeal, the embattled Vivian Ottih, who until her suspension was a Deputy News Editor with IBC Owerri and Chairperson of the female journalists (NAWOJ) in the state, who described the termination of the security guards appointment as “man’s inhumanity to man”, said she had rushed to the premises of Imo Broad Casting Corporation (IBC) at Akanchanwa Udenwa road, Owerri, for the collection and filling of a form in respect of arrangements for the payment of her three (3) months salaries arrears, after receiving a telephone call from a senior colleagues to that effect. She had no reason to make further contacts, since she was informed and invited for the exercise by a senior colleague’.
Ottih revealed that since other staff of IBC, including those on annual leave and on retirement without receiving their statutory salaries before retirement were involved in the exercise, the gateman did not need any further instructions or consultation to open the gate to let all concerned in.
An unsuspecting Mrs Vivian Ottih, had joined her colleagues in completing the requisite forms, after the entrance gate was opened for her since as a public establishment even none staff who have business to accomplish there are not usually restricted entrance to premises. She was however on her way home without realizing that the gateman has allegedly been handed down a sack order by the Acting Managing Director, Ezekiel Opara.
It was while driving home afterwards that the now depressed and trauma inflicted gateman, drew Ottih’s attention to the development, when she tried to enquire why a man in his 60s was crying helplessly.
Narrating his ordeal while still in heavy tears and giggling dentition, the old man told Vivian Ottih, “Nwam Nwanyi, they have sacked me”. The information alone was all she needed for her heart to bleed in pain, anger and frustration. She too could not hold back her tears, hence she cursed the source and cause of such untold trauma and depression, visited on both workers.
The ugly incident has so far necessitated the expositions of the sordid descent to the mundane by some staff of IBC and by extension the Imo Civil Service to excel by employing “chemical elimination series” to edge out their colleagues, rivals and opponents from either a merited office or from the world.
A source who doesn’t want to be mentioned said, Ezikiel Opara rose through the ranks to reach the apogee of his carrier and had the rare priviledge of enjoying an in-service training programme and study leave, all at IBC expenses but his rise to stardom and prominence has allegedly witnessed the victimization of his younger colleaques most of whom are said to be vibrant staff including a woman who reportedly died as GM before Opara’s ascendancy to the position.
Same source revealed that following Ezikiel Opara’s inability to cow Vivian Ottih, who is believed to be his greatest rival, he perfected her suspension so that he can easily and unrestrained ferry an inflated wage bill without suspicion. And that brings about how a junior staff who recently rose to the top as Acting DG acquired a satchet and bottled water and tissue paper packaging companies in Owerri.
When contacted, the DG, Opara denied all the allegation against him.According to him, no staff of IBC was sacked let alone gateman.He stated that both Imo State NUJ and NLC have investigated the matter and discovered that he is innocent of the allegation.
