Even as Civil Servants have raised alarm over the proposed deduction of money from their salaries for the production of uninformed identity card, a relation of an Imo State top Government official (names withheld) is fingered to be involved in the business.
Trumpeta Newspaper had a week ago exclusively reported about the impending crisis in the state workforce over deduction of money for the production of the controversial ID card. According to the details, while Grade Level 01-06 would pay N1,000, 07-12, and 13 and above are expected to pay N2,000 and N3,000 respectively, which the workers considered exorbitant and a rip-off from Government.
Meanwhile, feelers from Government House revealed that a female relation of this top Government official may be behind the deal as equipment meant for the project has arrived the state last week. Further investigations reveal that the female whose husband is a Sole Administrator of one of the LGA’s in Imo state allegedly undertook the renewal and replacement of lost ID cards of Government House personnel which was done at the rate of N1,000 and N1,500.
It was however learnt that the experiment in Government House where workers complied and paid between N1,000 to N1,500 for ID card that worth not more than N400 may have informed the syndicate to request all Civil Servants for the exercise.
Most of the workers who spoke to Trumpeta at the State Secretariat PortHarcourt Road yesterday on the issue expressed displeasure over the planned action adding that this is the first time since the advent of our nascent democracy in 1999 that Civil Servants are meant to pay for ID Cards even at high rates.
The workers queried the rationale behind the differences stating that a mass production would have reduced the cost of production if the state government does not want to make money from workers pay.
According to some of the workers, they are waiting for organised Labour and affected Unions to wake up and resist the project suspected to be a scam for personal enrichment.
In a memo posted to every Ministry and parasatal of the state through the office of the Head of Service Mrs Nkechi Onumajulu, the workers were notified of the immediate commencement of deductions from their salaries to cover cost of the production.
