Civil servants in Imo State has lamented that irrespective of the rampaging economic misfortune devastating some states in Nigeria, the Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is reportedly jettisoning acts that could help reduce cost and waste of resources from the state fund.
Trumpeta findings revealed that while workers in the State Ministries have not received their salaries, for about two months others serving in Parastatals and Agencies are experiencing backlog of nonpayment of salaries while the pensioners are worse hit.
Worsened by poor allocation, Imo State is among the states in Nigeria listed as debtor states to their workforce as the Okorocha government is not up-to date in payment of staff and pension monthly salaries.
However, despite the lean purse of the state manifested in nonpayment of salaries, the workers allege that the state governor still maintains his ostentatious style of living by flying across the country and even beyond with a private jet.
It would be recalled that in contrast to the methods adopted by his predecessors, Okorocha since assumption of office during his first tenure, chose to operate with a private jet believed to be expensive and may have become a burden to the financial status of the state.
The workers said that between 1999 to 2007 when ex-governor Achike Udenwa was incharge of the affairs of the state, he made use of commercial airlines while his immediate predecessor, Ikedi Ohakim toed similar line and sparingly had time to charter flights for official engagements except on emergency.
With harsh economic realities hitting hard on the state economy the workers and pensioners lament their conditions. It was gathered that Okorocha is yet to confirm to the latest “save cost” solution being adopted by some poverty-stricken states to survive the financial meltdown.
From May 29, 2015 when he took oath of office for a second term, Okorocha has stuck to private jets. While the workers and pensioners are seeking pay of their salaries, Okorocha was said to be off to Abuja on a private jet to join his colleagues discuss proposed bail out with President Muhamadu Buhari.
Worried by unconfirmed reports that there would be another round of downsizing and salary slash, Labour Union Leaders in the state gathered the workers at the state secretariat, Owerri.
Our correspondent who monitored the event Tuesday morning noted that it was lamentation galore for the workers despite repeated assurances that no worker will be sacked and there are no plans for salary cut.
The workers were worried following divergent reports spilling out from the office of the Accountant General of the state concerning packaging of their monthly salaries. It was however confirmed by the union leaders of the workers that promotion arrears and leave allowances may not be included in the coming schedules.
Trumpeta further gathered that after two weeks, the workers’ union will go back to the state government to verify their intent in the whole exercise.
On the new verification of data, the workers’ leaders said that Okorocha will be referred to a similar exercise by the administration of former governor, Ikedi Ohakim who also put a template for data of workers.
Majority of the workers who spoke to our reporters on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization regretted that while they are suffering in penury and lack of money the governor is cruising on he air waves with a private jet.
A woman, Mrs Uche Offokanzi who volunteered to be named, in an interview stated that the governor is insensitive to their plight by his decision to continue to use a private jet while the wallow in penury. “It is wrong of the governor. I thought he is a man of the people who understands our plight. How come we heard he still uses private jets but our salaries are not paid. Even that of pensioners too. But we hear the private jet consumes millions of naira” she added.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has made it clear that his administration has no intension to down-size or retrench the Imo work-force to slash their salaries.
The State Governor disclosed this to Journalists during an unscheduled visit to some of the parastatals and agencies in the state.
Governor Okorocha who disclosed that his administration determined to sanitize the workforce in the state, frowned at the nonchalant attitude of workers towards their job, especially on the areas of lateness to work and absenteeism.
“On my tours to some of the government establishments and parastatals, particularly, the Hospital Management Board, I noticed with dismay that most of the workers do not come to work, it appears that state government pays wrong people salaries. Some of the state hospitals I visited, there was no one on duty except one nurse and it is a hospital that is supposed to have 14 doctors. I am set to sanitize the system.”
Governor Okorocha urged workers to ensure that they are at their offices and regretted that the state government pays salaries to ghost-workers and dead people; adding that government would no longer tolerate the ugly act.
He urged the public servants to report any fraudulent activities in their various working place and decried on a situation where a local government staff keeps more than two jobs in the state; pointing out that such act would not be tolerated.
Owelle Rochas Okorocha called on workers to be serious with their jobs and justify their salaries.
He made them to understand that the Internally Generated Revenue of the state government is about the least in Nigeria as a result of fraudulent activities caused by the political appointees, senior staff of ministries, parastatals, local government workers; pointing out that his administration will deal ruthlessly with anybody caught in such an ugly act.
The state governor disclosed that his administration has concluded arrangement to tour round the ministries, parastatals and government agencies to checkmate the activities of workers in those various institutions and advised them to be at their work places for the benefit.
