It’s Absurd, Criminal for Oshiomhole to Owe LG Workers 18 Months Salaries, Says Ize-Iyamu
The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, yesterday said he was with the Edo workers at their moment of discomfort and suffering, over the non-payment of their salaries running into 18 months, assuring them that he would stop their weeping when, by the grace of God, he assumes office as governor of the state in November this year.
The candidate of PDP stated this in a statement issued by the media unit of his campaign organisation, while reacting to a peaceful protest by the local government workers over the non-payment of their salaries, which crippled the entire economic and social activities in Benin City.
Dressed in black attire, hundreds of staff members of different local government councils across the state, stormed Benin City in sorrowful and mournful moods and blocked major roads in the city, protesting the non-payment of their salaries.
The Edo State Government had repeatedly said that workers, including local government council workers, were not being owed salaries.
Expressing solidarity with the workers, Ize-Iyamu described the action of the state governor as ungodly, absurd and inhuman for subjecting the good people of the state to untold hardship, especially at a time Governor Adams Oshiomhole induced some selected innocent women with N120 million for the purpose of election, when pensioners and local government workers have not been paid 10 to 18 months salaries.
According to him, “It is only a wicked, insensitive and irresponsible governor that will deny the workers their salaries, especially when Oshiomhole just donated N120 million to some selected market women at the Dr. Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Staduim, BeninCity, thanking them for supporting his administration.
“How did he spend the $225 million loan he took from the World Bank, which he said would improve the investment climate and increase the internally generated revenue of the state?
“How can the governor justify the N18 million he pays to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Channels Television at every rally for live coverage when workers are being owned salaries?
“Is it right and just for Oshiomhole to be giving each local government council N18 million anytime he goes for campaign, spends millions of naira hiring touts and hoodlums and yet, the welfare of government workers means nothing to him?’’
The statement added that the situation in the state was so pathetic that many workers resorted to begging as result of non-payment of their salaries.
“Now that Oshiomhole is talking about corruption and accountability, we challenge him to justify the amount he spent in designing a mere website in a state, when millions of Edo people are languishing in abject poverty, and hundreds of roads begging for attention,” the statement added.
Ize-Iyamu reiterated that a vote for the ‘’continuity’’ on September 10 as is being canvassed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), will be a vote for never-ending abject poverty, unemployment, insecurity and stealing of public fund in the state.
He therefore advised the people to completely reject the APC and its candidate in the coming election for subjecting them to severe suffering in the past seven and a half years.