Controversy surrounding the ongoing strike action embarked upon by Kogi State civil servants is yet to be over. Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State was in the Presidency on Monday to see President Muhammadu Buhari where he described those workers on strike as ‘political civil servants.’
The governor also claimed that he owes workers’ only two months contrary to the allegation that workers’ are being owed almost 20 months salaries and pensions thereby foreclosing the possibility of resolving imbroglio very soon.
However, Comrade Idris Miliki Abdul, the Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) has described the statement by the governor that owes only workers’ months arrears of salary as untrue.
He condemned the failure of the government to make the 14 months staff verification exercise public by sending it to the state House of Assembly. The invitation for the Accountant General of the state and Commissioner for Finance to appear before the House of Assembly on staff salaries has not been obeyed. That was part of the crisis that engulfed the assembly in August when some members escaped death when thugs suspected to be sponsored by the state government invaded the assembly complex during plenary.
Abdul who chided the labour organisation for sidelining him in the struggle for workers’ welfare in the state, urged them to be thorough in their research in order to make their case more appealing.
He said, “I expect organised labour to get their fact on the number of workers in the state and how much the government has paid workers since the inception of the present administration in January last year.”
Miliki bemoaned the Bello administration for its inability to complete some projects initiated by previous administration or start new ones.
He expressed disappointment in the inability of elders in the state to come out and condemn what is going on in the state.
He said, “Nobody is happy with what is happening in Kogi State where for almost two years, we are not seeing the government commissioning project or some projects are ongoing and we expect the so called elders to wake up and task the government but they are all keeping quiet.
“Apart from Tunde Ogbeha that addressed press sometimes ago condemning what is going on in the state, almost all of them are keeping quiet, may be they are afraid.
“The other day Ibrahim Idris was talking of taking over the state in 2019, but has failed to talk about the present state of things in the state.”
“While some members of the Peoples Democratically Party (PDP) visited Ibrahim Idris, former governor of the state, he expressed confidence in the ability of the party to take back the state in the next election. He said, We will not field somebody who will tear the state apart, neither shall we bring somebody that will spread hunger and starvation, but somebody that will wipe away our poverty and make the state great again.
“The elders say it is when a man marries the second wife that he knows who is better, we as a party have learnt our lessons and the electorates also have learnt their lessons that Kogi state is more safe and secured in the hands of PDP because they have tasted the second wife and they now know who is better.”
“But the comment of the former governor fell short of the people’s expectation in a state where observers believe is bleeding without any government institution working at the moment,” he said.
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