Social critic, Comrade Usman Okai has challenged Kogi state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to come out and explain to the nation where he got the money he has been using for advert placements and the awareness on All Progressives Congress (APC) membership and revalidation drive.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Kogi-born activist accused Bello of pursuing “a vain quest of becoming president at the detriment of the state workers.”
“It is no longer news that in Kogi state, the payment of half salary to civil servants at all cadre is now the new normal while the governor lavishly spend on TV adverts and other activities unrelated to good governance.
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“Aside the front pages adverts in some national dailies, some broadcast television stations run APC advert program on a daily basis for between 30 minutes and one hour at a period where the APC government at the national and states level is preaching austerity. This is grossly insensitive.
“This is different from funds made available to artistes and local singers in major languages to carry out all colours and shades of pro-APC and Yahaya Bello jingles. The Nigerian public is inundated daily with these jingles and yet, very little or nothing is on ground to advertise by the governor has his achievement, because he has none apart of the usual slogan of being a ‘youth governor’. Little wonder the state can not carry out the least of its basic responsibilities and incapable of development having squandered all the resources of the state on his inordinate and imaginary ambition.
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“It is only in Kogi state that civil servants, in the last five years, had no yearly incremental steps, no promotion, no arrears, no leave bonus, no overtime allowances, even imprest for usual and emergencies had become a thing of the past including irregular salaries. Not minding your status, stature or level, payment of gratuities is as low as N100,000 while pension has become a matter of choice to the state government to retired civil servants,” Okai said.
Okai stated that Kogi civil servants have resorted to mass borrowing at exorbitant interests from cooperatives and other borrowing outlets as banks no longer honour request from civil servants because of poor government policies.
He warned that the people of the state will not fold their arms and watch the governor continue with his undemocratic tendencies.