A Kogi-born journalist cum good governance advocate, Arogbonlo Israel has called out the State Governor, Yahaya Bello over what he described as a “lack of empathy and nonchalant attitude of the governor towards workers welfare” especially in terms of payment of salaries.
In a statement he personally signed Friday, the award-winning journalist alleged the workers are fairly treated in the State, the Local Government workers in particular.
“Since the emergence of Yahaya Bello’s New Direction government, Kogites have been forced to cope with a system that lacks empathy for livelihood and it is evident with the payment of percentage salary to workers who should have been treated fairly well than what they are facing in this autocratic government.
“What can we say of a government that only pays full salaries on media but in the real sense, workers are wallowing in pains and starvation.
“Sadly, it is most shocking and appalling to wake up to the reality that in Kogi today, Public Servants which were long reputed to be the backbone of economic drivers in the State, have now been reduced to a pathetic status.
“Imagine a senior level officer of Local Government going home monthly with N11,000 as basic salary. It is such a sorry state!
“Medical doctors are also not left out in this unnecessary evil that has since been bedevilling the State and yet no one is talking. We can’t continue to watch and pretend that all is well while all that glitters is not actually gold in this stance.
“Hence, doctors are heavily groaning as they are unable to meet up with their financial responsibility due to this fractional payment, which has led to a palpable low morale vis-a-vis in the discharge of their official duty. Already, three Medical Consultants have left the services of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja based on unsolicited reports.
“Is this how we continue to look until the State becomes a shadow of itself if nothing is primarily done to salvage it.
“It is on this note, I call on the governor to do the needful if truly he must contest for president come 2023, as Aso Rock is not meant for those that pay percentage salary. This rote system of payment is far beyond the age we’re currently in, and it must stop,” he said.