Lokoja
Kogi state civil servants have urged the Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to pay their February salary, in line with the promise he made made during his inauguration for second term on January 27, to pay their salary 25th of every month.
The workers, who spoke with Duaglobalnews in Lokoja in separate interview on Tuesday, expressed concern that as at March 3, they were yet to get alert for salary from banks.
According to them, the development has sent fears into their spines, reminding them of the past years where they stayed for many months without salary.
“Whatever may be the challenge delaying payment of our salaries, I beg the state government to quicken the process of resolving the issue.
“This is because we have no other viable source of livelihood beyond salary”, one the state workers who preferred to remain as Mohammed told Duaglobalnews.
Some operators of various business concerns have also called on the state government to do the needful in paying the salary of its workforce, for their businesses to pick up again.
“My joy as a fish seller is seriously tied to the pocket of workers because l know that, when they receive their salary, as and when due, they will buy buy fish,” Hajia Amina Saliu, a fish seller at the international market,lokoja said
Mr Chukwuma Ojukwu and his colleagues in the businesses of selling wares, food stuff, building materials,among others in Lokoja, noted that there had been a nose dive in their businesses.
This development,they observed, could be traced, largely, to the delay in payment of workers’ salary in the state.
Ojukwu said:”Kogi state is largely a civil service state, meaning that the major industry in the state is the civil service.
“Therefore, any delay in payment of workers’ salary definitely affects the economy of the state.
” I want to join the state workers in appealing to the state government to iron out factors causing the delay in the payment of the workers salary.
“Besides making the workers happy and boost their productivity,we will also make more sales and businesses which have been going down can pick up again.”
