The organised labour in Kogi State on Wednesday told Gov Yahaya
Bello that his administration was owing workers eight to 39 months
salary arrears.
The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Onu
Edoka, disclosed this in Lokoja during an emergency meeting between
the governor and the leaders of the organised labour.
The meeting, which was at the instance of the government, took
place at the governor’s office.
Edoka, who took exception to recent media reports quoting the
governor as saying that he was not owing workers a dime, insisted
that the state government was heavily indebted to workers.
” We wish to unequivocally state that His Excellency’s
administration owes Kogi workers and pensioners heavily in terms of
salaries, pensions and other entitlements.
” We are more bewildered by the fact that at one time the
government accepts the fact of her heavy indebtness to workers, and
at another time the denial card is played,” Edoka said.
He reminded Bello that as at the time he came into office on
Jan. 27, 2016, the workers were being owed three months salary and
pension arrears.
According to him, Bello’s administration received the allocation
for Jan., 2016, thereby putting the responsibility of payment of
salary of that month on him, and not the previous
administration.
“You claimed to have spent the N20 billion bailout fund on
payment of salary and pensions, but your refusal to utilise several
years of monthly allocations for the same purpose gave room to the
present backlog of salary and pensions.
“As at today, the outstanding salaries and pensions arrears are
in six different categories, ranging from eight months to 39
months.
” Apart from salaries, the current administration has not paid
any leave bonus since inception. The implication is that leave
bonuses for 2016, 2017 and 2018 are outstanding against this
government,” Edoka said.
He insisted that there was no moral justification for Bello not
to pay salary and pensions having accessed bailout funds which were
meant for that purpose, in addition to several tranches of Paris
Club refund.
” There is therefore a moral burden on his His Excellency to
explain to the people of the state what his government did with all
the refunds, the monthly allocations and internally generated
revenue running into hundreds of billions of naira, since inception
of this adminstration .
“We challenge the state government to a live debate on these
issues on any national television,” Edoka stated.
He charged the governor to drop the denial game, urging him to
commence payment of the outstanding salary and pension arrears
immediately, to stem further death, sickness and other deprivations
facing the people under his watch.
Bello, who was rattled by the submissions of the labour,
promised to work out modalities for the payment of the outstanding
salary arrears and pensions.
He explained that his adminstration had, within limited
resources, done its best to develop the state and improve upon
citizens welfare.
The governor then asked for the support of the organised labour
so that he could deliver more dividends of democracy.