Anybody who is abreast of trends of events in the ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAS) in the state would certainly decipher that all is not well as the workers in Imo state are not smiling one beat.
Not long ago, the state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha had at a workers forum in Owerri, boasted that” henceforth, I am directing that Imo workers be paid their monthly salaries on or before the eighteenth of every month”, Trust Imo workers, they jumped up and down welcoming the cheering news as it were.
Today is the fourth day of December 2014, the Imo workers are yet to receive their November salaries. The payment is not even at sight and those activities for which workers in the MDAS are known for every December before the Christmas day is not going on.
At this time every year and precisely from the first of December, Civil and Public Servants commence the sharing of rice, onions, stockfish and beverages which money they started contributing since January through co-thrift, so that at the end of the day they use the fund to make purchases preparatory to the Christmas celebration.
Unfortunately, the workers would not exercise this liberty because of delay of payment of November salary. One a good day, the workers use the November salary to make up for any deficits they have in the co-thrift register.
Trumpeta reliably gathered from an impeccable source in the office of the Secretary to the Government of Imo state, that workers salary would wait a little because government is currently “dealing” with contractors who are owed various sums so that they could go back to their various sites. The source which begged for anonymity, said the reasons are to motivate the contractors so that they could complete the projects which would form part of campaign propaganda come 2015.
At the state secretariat, some workers who spoke to Trumpeta said they are not thinking of Christmas purchases for the kids again but how to survive pending when Owelle will change his mind.
Another worker furiously asked if Owelle has used the money meant for workers salary for his presidential project. “I even heard that he purchased both the presidential and gubernatorial forms”, the worker intoned.
Meanwhile, if the rumours making the rounds is anything to go by, the workers may take to the streets to express their anger.
