Staff of the two major higher institutions in Imo State; Imo State University, IMSU and Imo State Polytechnic are crying out to the state government to pay them their monthly salaries as hunger and starvation have taken over their entire households.
It would be recalled that in the recent address to Imo stakeholders to mark this year’s Democracy Day, Imo State Governor Senator Hope Uzodinma claimed he saved about N2bn arising from ghost workers check.
But based on the cries of workers of IMSU and Imo Poly, the money the governor may have claimed to save were unpaid salaries of those in these institutions and Imo Poly who used their micro finance banks to receive salaries which the Imo State Government is yet to acknowledge.
Trumpeta investigations revealed that the two institutions operate a micro finance bank known as Imo State University Micro Finance Bank and Imo State Polytechnic Micro Finance Bank. The two banks had been operational since the administration of Rochas Okorocha as means of salary payment to a category of workers in the institution. It was gathered that during Ihedioha’s time, the financial houses were also used to pay.
But things changed when Uzodinma came in and refused to honour workers who their institutions make use of Micro Finance Banks to receive salaries.
It was further gathered that the state government refused to pay those using the micro finance and instead tagged them “Ghost workers” even when the affected workers have submitted all required items including new commercial banks accounts other than the Micro Finance Banks for the payments.
Further findings by Trumpeta revealed that not less 400 IMSU staff are yet to be paid three months salaries while about 280 staff of Imo Poly have not seen any monthly salary alert since February.
As workers in the state begin to receive salaries, the affected staffers of IMSU and Imo Poly were again left out from the payment.
Our reporter who visited IMSU said that the workers are in deep mess arising from non payment. “Please beg the governor to pay us our salaries for survival. We have done what is necessary. We have submitted new accounts, filled necessary forms and provided evidences that we are not ghost workers, yet the governor has decided not to pay.
On the part of Imo Poly complex Umuagwo, workers are bemoaning their fate. Report has it that after no salary is forthcoming for those using Micro Finance Banks, the aggrieved workers are seeking explanations from management of Imo Poly why their salaries have not been paid.
