Kogi state workers have appealed to Governor Yahaya Bello to pay them their outstanding salary arrears as some of they are dying of hunger due to non-availability of food. The Chairman of Kogi state Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Onuh Edoka, made the call on behalf of the aggrieved workers at the 40th anniversary of NLC. He lamented that the policies of the state governor were anti-workers and urged him to consider their plight.
“Your excellency, workers sitting here today said I should ask you where is our salary. As your obedient servant, we are dying. As people who have contributed their quota in Kogi state and have left the service, as pensioners we are dying. To this end, we wish to compassionately appeal to you. We are aware that allocation came to Kogi state last month and by the statement of the commissioner for finance, what came as allocation to the state was put at N4.3billion and what came to local governments was put at N3.8billion. To this end, up till this moment, no salaries has been paid in Kogi state.
We are already aware that as at yesterday, FAAC meeting has already been held and over N638billion have been shared and I know Kogi State government will have a share in it. Let our own not drop into river Niger again. On reports of premature retirement of some workers, proscription of labour unions and the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by medical doctors in Kogi state, he said.
“You will agree with me well that appointment in this government has been done upside down, junior workers are placed before their senior and the senior working under their junior. I will make it more clearer that this government for the first time in the history of the state introduced what they called percentage salaries to workers and pensioners. If civil service have been kept in this form before the coming of this administration, the civil service would have been in disarray.
Medical doctors in Kogi state have been on strike for over one month. Our mothers, children are dying at home. For this obvious fact, we appeal to the state government to call our doctors on a round table and bring this matter to a conclusive end. Why the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have not joined any issues of strike is because we have come to the realization that strike may not be the solution to our problems any more. It is all about the person who is the chief executive and his state of mind on the development and welfare of workers.
The proscription of unions in Kogi state is completely detrimental to the progress of democracy, unacceptable to Nigeria Labour Congress and completely illegal and we shall not stand by it any more. We should have it at the back of our mind that this voices that we are forcing to be silent today, time shall come when you will no longer be in government and you will require us. We will speak for the voiceless and the same voice will still speak again. We shall resist it with the last drop of our blood to see that we will not be tamed in any form or turn beggars in our own state”
