By Okey Alozie
The office of Imo State Accountant General located on Bank road Owerri has been surrounded by over 10,000 unpaid workers and pensioners.
The unpaid workers and pensioners stormed the A.Gs office to demand for their money with tears.
Our Trumpeta reporter who visited the place observed that good number of unpaid workers and pensioners who came to the accountant general’s office for their money were very sick and are almost dying because of hardship they are now facing.
Those who spoke to our reporter revealed that the present administration under Senator Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State has been dribbling them since he came into power.
They said that for more than 18 months now no payment at all. The aggrieved workers showed evidence of the number or verification exercises they participated, yet the government refused to pay salaries and pension to them.
Three persons almost slumped during the week at the accountant general office while struggling to get attention of the officials at the place.
Each local government came with their own commercial bus in the morning and they left late in the evening.
Since last week the pensioners and unpaid workers started coming but nothing positive has come out of it.
Report has it that government of the state recently embarked on fresh verification exercise to ascertain the true number of those who have not been truly paid.
From the state data office, we observed that good number of pensioners and workers are now into trouble because of the following reasons. The first is that some took loan during the Rescue Mission era through the micro finance banks and refused to pay. Second reason is that those with joint account are no longer with their parties.
The third reason is that majority of those having problem could not go for the past verifications. Moreover, they do not have Imo number.
Information revealed that after this particular verification, the state government will then publish authentic workers and pensioners.
Those who did not pass the verification exercise will be completely thrown out. From the system by next year as we gathered. The account general’s office is now so busy for the task ahead as government has vowed to pay only genuine workers and pensioners in Imo State.
