Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Former Abia Governor, Senator Theodore Orji, has told his successor and out-going Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, to take responsibility for his inability to pay workers’ salary instead of blaming past administrations.
Orji who is the senator representing Abia Central expressed surprise that Ikpeazu is blaming him for the backlog salary arrears of Abia workers instead of the taking responsibility for his failures as the incumbent Governor.
The former governor who explained that “Government is a continuum,” said Ikpeazu had no justifiable excuse not to pay workers salary more so considering huge intervention funds he received from the Federal Government as bailout.
Senator Orji who spoke through his Chief Liaison Officer, Hon Ifeanyi Umere, asked Ikpeazu to stop the blame games and admit his failures.
Orji in a statement entitled: “Ikpeazu Should Carry His Cross,” explained that when he left office in 2015, core civil servants were not owed any salary arrears while workers in parastatals were owed not more than four months.
The former Governor noted with bewilderment, that Ikpeazu allowed salary arrears to accumulate up to 40 months, saying it is wrong for the out-going Governor to blame his predecessor for his failures.
The statement read: “It’s unfortunate that I am forced to comment and refute the half truths being dished out by those who through their own bad choices have found themselves in a quagmire .
“For the avoidance of any doubt, neither myself nor my administration is responsible for the staggering salary arrears owed both civil servants, parastatals and pensioners in the state.
“Before my administration came to an end on May 29, 2015, core civil servants were not owed even one month salary arrears. Parastatals were the ones that were owed between two and four months. The records are there.
“At any rate, the arrears were necessitated by the dwindling federal allocation occasioned by the worsening global economy. The price of crude had crashed and the states were getting a paltry two to three billion naira monthly which was not even enough to run the state including capital and recurrent expenditures.
“Those who took over from us inherited both assets and liabilities. In this case, government is a continuum. So, if we were owing two to three months, we expected our successors to clear them.
This expectation was based on the fact that they received bail out funds from the Federal Government more than three times running into billions of naira. Again the economy had picked up considerably enabling the outgoing government to chalk up considerable income as can be confirmed from the ministry of finance.
“So why was it difficult for them to offset the debts? Again if for any reason they couldn’t or were unwilling to offset, why did they allow it to skyrocket to between 35 and 40 months? Why are they also owing core civil servants?
“So basically, I am not the problem. They should carry their cross.”
Meanwhile, Abia workers have vowed to continue with their indefinite strike until Government clears the arrears.
While doctors in some state owned institutions like Abia State Teaching Hospital Aba, ABSUTH, are owed for 24 months, teachers and other workers are owed for many months.
Labour in the state, which last week declared indefinite strike to press home their demands, debunked claims by the State Government that the strike had been suspended.
A release by the Secretary, State Council of Congress, Comrade Emeka Alozie, urged workers to stay away from their offices “until further notice.”
The release read: “The attention of the State Council of Congress has been drawn to the press release signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Barr. Chris Ezem with the intent that the ongoing strike declared by labour has been called off.
“It is a known fact that Government does not have the prerogative to call off a strike it did not declare.
“Therefore, the State Council of Congress, wishes to state unequivocally that the ongoing indefinite strike has not been suspended nor called off.
“Abia workers are therefore requested by the State Council of Congress to continue to stay away from all their offices/working places till further notice.”
The release explained that only workers in key offices were excused to report for duty to work out salary payment based on a truce with Government after an intervention by a security agency.
“It is however imperative to inform us that this afternoon, the Director of State Security Service (SSS) intervened in the face-off with government. He appealed that labour should allow government to access some critical offices that relate to salary payment as requested by government.
“The offices are, office of the HOS, SSG and AG to enable government be able to pay salaries, with the promise that alerts will start coming this evening while we continue the strike action. Hence the three offices were opened this afternoon.
“However, part of the agreement is that if by Monday government did not implement their promise, labour has the right to picket the offices again.”
