Gotel Communications Limited, the Yola-based media company ,which sacked scores of its staff on May 1, has explained why it took the decision, The Nation reports.

The company, a firm of television and radio station owned by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said the sack was the outcome of a restructuring exercise, which started last year.

The company handed sack letters to at least 46 of its staff on Friday when workers were marking Workers Day worldwide.

The affected staff disputed the actual number of sacked workers.

While some said they were over 50, others said although the initial list contained 56 staff, it was thinned down to 46.

A statement on why the action became imperative was however silent on the number of those affected.

The statement, signed by the General Manager of the company, Mohammed El-Yakub titled, ‘Rationalisation of staff in Gotel, outcome of long standing company restructuring,’ said Atiku Abubakar had no hand in the layoff action.

The statement reads: “The rationalisation of staff at Gotel Communications Limited, a company under the umbrella of Priam Group, is a culmination of the restructuring process in the companies under our Group.

“The founder of companies under the Priam had announced that many of his business concerns will be aggregated under the Priam Group. Priam Group had embarked on a restructuring exercise which led to a merger of many companies under its umbrella.

“Other components of the restructuring includes rationalisation of workforce and thus some members of staff of the group would be laid off, with their full disengagement benefits paid to them.”

It stressed the decision to “right size” the workforce in Gotel Communication Limited was the climax of the on-going restructuring exercise initiated last year.

It said it was out of context “to ascribe any mundane presupposition for being responsible for the decision to lay off some of the workforce in Gotel Communication Limited,” and explained following the unveiling of Priam Group last year, Atiku Abubakar ceased to be involved in the running of the affairs of his companies.

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