After working hard for 34 years to become a director at the Enugu State Water Corporation, Christopher Abonyi was expected to retire peacefully next year.
However, that was not the case for the Director of Commercial Services as the management issued him a letter terminating his appointment on Monday, January 29.
The reason, allegedly, was because he failed to meet a weekly target of N100,000 set for his department.
Abonyi, a Level 16 officer, who was enjoying his yearly leave when the letter came, could not take the shock.
He passed away at the weekend; the first to become deceased out of the list of 19 directors of the corporation sacked the same day over alleged inefficiency.
According to sources, Abonyi, who hailed from Udenu Local Council of the state, was disturbed by the sudden termination. He went to bed on Friday night, but never woke up.
He was said to have joined the corporation when Enugu was still part of the old Anambra State and had risen to become Director of Commercial Services.
“It is most unfortunate that such a person who gave his all could end his career this way. He just had a year to retire but was forced out of service by the sudden termination of his appointment by the management of the corporation.
“He is now the first casualty of that action of the corporation,” a staff told The Guardian on condition of anonymity, yesterday.
Recall that on Monday, January 29, the corporation, in a letter signed by Governor Peter Mbah’s Special Assistant on Water Corporation and Waste Management, Andreas Gebauer, had sacked 19 directors for not meeting their target.
According to the letter, seen by The Guardian, the disengagement stemmed from their inability to meet up, individually, with the N100,000 weekly target from water consumers in Enugu metropolis.
The letter reads: “The Management of Enugu State Water Corporation has considered your performance and found it unsatisfactory and has decided to terminate your appointment, on the grounds of general inefficiency and inability to meet up targets. As a result, your appointment is hereby terminated with immediate effect.
“You should hand over all properties, documents, files of the corporation in your possession to Commercial/Admin…”
Meanwhile, some staff of the corporation have condemned the blanket sack of the directors, saying the governor is yet to realise his 180-day promise of restoring water to the state.
According to them, several households are yet to have access to water and have continued to patronise vendors at exorbitant prices, following leakages and bursts in many places.
“Consequently, no household accepts us and our demands for payment. Even here, in the water corporation, private tankers still discharge water into our storage tanks. For me, it is not a matter of inefficiency but to get the system right before resorting to blame games,” a staff of the corporation said
