This year’s May Day Celebration in Owerri, the Imo State capital, ended on a sour note for employees of the state Government who were disappointed that their worries and expectations were not properly addressed by the state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Prior to the celebration of this year’s Workers’ Day in the state, promotion of civil servants welfare packages like overtime popularly called OTM, and leave Allowances of pension and gratuity payment have continued to dominate discussion within the workers circle. It was expected that the May Day ceremony would afford the Governor the opportunity to hearken to the plea of the workers who have been lamenting government indifference approach to their plight.
In view of the expectations, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, came up with the idea to give the Governor an award. The award tagged “Excellency Award” which is causing disaffection within the rank and file of the various workers’ union, it was gathered, was an indirect means of seeking Governor Okorocha’s favour into making a volte-face about his hard stance on workers welfare in the state.
To the chagrin of both the labour union leaders and majority of the state workforce who thronged Hero’s square, venue of the event, Okorocha turned a behind eye to their welfare and kept mute on the promotion issue and overtime, as well as leave allowance packages.
Also, another group shocked by the Governor’s unkind gestures during the May Day Celebration were pensioners. Contrary to expectations, Okorocha told the visibly disturbed pensioner that he is not aware that they are owed a dime by the state.
The inspiring speech by the Governor and retires left workers and retires bewildered as their hopes were dashed. In the process, most of them started trooping out the venue before the end of the speech.
Those who had succor in the Governor’s speech were Imo indigenes sacked in Abia by Theodore Orji government.
Okorocha promised to absorb the embattled Imo indigenes as adhoc workers. In his words “I appeal to them (the sacked workers) to go to their equivalent ministries and start as adhoc workers, while we sort out their cases. He also assured them of at least a twenty thousand naira (N20, 000) monthly salary in their adhoc capacity which their different grade levels are sorted out for proper employment.
The governor in his speech denied any knowledge of owing pensioners in the state, while assuring workers of those parastatals whose subvention has been stopped of proper payment of salaries as at when due.
Earlier, the Imo state Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Dr R. A Anyaike in an address on behalf of other labour and trade unions extolled the governor for his landmark achievements so far especially for being labour friendly.
He however decried the insensitivity of both past and present governments on Imo workers, which include non payment of backlog of salary arrears to workers of statesman newspapers, non promotion of Imo civil servants, non payment of over 20 months pension arrears to retired members of NULGE, IBC, and Teachers, non payment of leave allowances and another backlog of N19m salary arrears owned Oguta Motel workers.
Though with a low turn out from workers, the occasion witnessed march pasts with the labour unions in different uniforms.
Among those in the Governor’s entourage include the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, Deputy Speaker, Pharm Donatus Ozoemena, Chirman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Ohiri and Head of service, Mrs. Nkechi Onumajulu.
Meanwhile, the former commandant of the Imo State Orientation Agency (ISOA), Capt. David Mbamara has refuted a media report crediting him to have commended Governor Rochas Okorocha on his purported planned recall of the sacked beneficiaries of the 10,000 jobs.
Captain Mbamara who is the facilitator of Imo project 2015, said he never commended Okorocha on the said announcement because the Governor’s Rescue Mission government is anti-workers.
A report published by one of the state based tabloids, Frontline Express on its front page on Wednesday May 1-2, 2013, had credited Chief Mbamara as commending the said plan by Governor Okorocha to recall the sacked 10,000 job beneficiaries.
But in a statement signed by the director of publicity of Imo project
2015, Mr. Anselem Anokwute and made available to newsmen, Captain
Mbamara expressed shock at the level of misrepresentation by some
journalists in the state.
The statement reads in part: “The story was a total embarrassment to Captain Mbamara the members of Imo project 2015 and his numerous followers, because the newspaper publication was a total falsehood other than what was syndicated to the newspaper to publish”.
According to the statement, Captain Mbamara was not aware of the said planned recall of 10,000 job beneficiaries by Okorocha and could not have commented on issues he knows nothing about.
The retired Army chief rather called on Okorocha to recall the 10,000 job beneficiaries as a mark for 2013 Workers’ Day celebration, adding that sacking of the workers without creating an alternative in the last two years was totally inhuman.
The former ISOA Boss, noted that Imo workers deserved to be treated with respect especially at their old age of retirement.
As a matter of urgency, he urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Imo State chapter to rise up to the challenges of non-enhancement of worker’s salary, enforcement of dress code and deduction of workers salaries to fund Imo foundation, a pet project of the Governor.
