By Tunji Adadeji
This is not the best moment for the administration of Senator Hope Uzodinma as governor of Imo State following the festival of protests that have become a regular occurrence in recent times.
Six months after coming on board, Uzodinma is tackling protests arising from workers and pensioners over non payment of the salaries and allowances.
Trumpeta recalls that two times last week, the pensioners took to the streets and anchored their final protests at Govt House gates, Owerri, where they blocked the entrance gate but not without issuing a threat that they will take over the seat of power and remain at the location until they are paid. Just as the state government is grappling with the threat of the retirees, the beginning of the week wasn’t rosy for Government House officials as access road into the place was blocked by protesting workers of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, ISOPADEC, over unpaid three months salaries.
The ISOPADEC workers had mobilized early in the morning, armed with placards took to the streets from the Accountant General’s office to the SSG before anchoring their final protest at Govt House gate. Again, commercial activities were shut down as the aggrieved government employees asked for their unpaid salaries.
According to them, it was sheer wickedness on the part of Uzodinma to deny them salaries during the crucial moments of Covid-10 lockdown. The workers accused the state government of deliberately starving them with no funding.
While the state government is battling with non payment to ISOPADEC staff, yet to be paid workers of the Imo State University and their counterparts in Imo State Polytechnic are warming up for their own version of protest showdown.
Trumpeta learnt that many of IMSU and Imo Poly Staffers using Micro Fiancé banks of their institutions are yet to receive salaries since Uzodinma came on board because the present administration considered those who received salary through Micro Finance banks as “Ghost Workers”.
After moving to the Accountant General’s office in Owerri to register their complaints, this newspaper learnt that the government is not only adamant but not forthcoming with a solution forcing the affected workers to thinker of protest as a solution.
Meanwhile, with the expiration of the seven days ultimatum handed to the state government and nothing positive yet to the accounts of the pensioners, the retirees are planning a return to Govt House, Owerri in fulfilment of their earlier threat to occupy the seat of power if they are not paid. Apart from the return of the pensioners, it is expected that on finishing their seven days fast and prayers for God to touch Uzodinma for payment, teachers in the State yet to be paid may join the protest carnival.
Trumpeta learnt that despite the recent disclosure of fraud syndicate, what the pensioners want is their payment.
Meanwhile, during the ISOPADEC protest that lasted for over six hours, the workers carried placards with different inscriptions such as ‘Uzodinma , pay our salary’, Uzodima has subjected our people to untold hardship ‘We can’t feed our families’, ‘Workers are dying of hunger’, and ‘13% oil money equals to #4billion ,while 40% equals to #400million by 6months is 2.4billion’among others.
The government house Chief of Staff, Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie who spoke on behalf of Gov Hope Uzodinma was forced to come down from his vehicle to address the protesters, even as he pleaded with them to suspend the protest.
Anyaehie who further promised the aggrieved workers that Imo State Government can’t owe anybody’s salary if not for the audit initiated by the board, said the 3R government would get the workers accumulated salary arrears this week.
The protesting workers, led by the Chairman Workers Union,Comrade Chinedu Awuzie and his counterpart Comrade Adakwa Ifeanyi, Chairman ISOPADEC Staff Welfare Association rejected the governor’s aides plea.
They declared that if the workers had no signal that the state government was ready to pay their salary arrears yesterday, that the protest would continue tomorrow.
Comrade Chinedu Awuzie who accused the government of being insensitive, said a great harm had been done to their farmlands because of oil explorations in the two oil producing local government areas in the state.
He said we are not against government audit but Uzodinma should understand that our allocation comes regularly and we have exhausted all peaceful avenues all to no avail, so he should pay us today.
Comrade Adakwa Ifeanyi, on his part called for an end to what they described as “impunity in ISOPADEC
Our Governor has been threatening us with sack but he should understand that this sack is invitation to anarchy and lawlessness. He pleaded with the governor not to sack but instruct the board to rather employ more hands.
The Public Relations Officer of the commission, Promise Eke, confirmed the protest to Trumpeta on the telephone, even when he refused further comment on the matter.
