The Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly, Prince Mathew Kolawole has slammed civil servants in the state for their alleged insincerity towards the screening exercise embarked upon by the Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration.
Kolawole made his position known when the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Kabba-Bunu chapter paid him a courtesy visit at the assembly complex in Lokoja.
The Speaker, while noting that the government of the day means well for the people, frowned at the attitude of some workers who are blackmailing the good intention of the state government.
“There are so many persons in the civil service that are not qualified to be there. Some are working with fake certificates, some collects salaries in two or three places, so all these things led us to where we are today.
“It is not as if the Kogi State House of Assembly is keeping quiet or the government is insensitive to the plight of its employees, but we should try and understand that there is need to weed out the bad eggs from the state workforce”, he said.
He added that several investigations conducted by independent authorities has unmasked diverse means in which some workers falsified documents just to milk the state of it funds.
Recalling his experience as a Supervisory Councillor in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Kolawole said “when I got to the Local Government, I was told that 78 staffs are under me. Whenever I call for meeting only 21 attended and the number later rose to 28. And I asked, where are the others members? The officers then told me that they were on the field. Till I left that office after two years, I saw only 28 staff. And yet, every month salaries goes to 78 people.
“Many workers in the state are not sincere with the reality on ground because as I speak to you a lot of things are happening in the civil service that will make you cry. Just take a look at what is happening at the pensions office, you will see reasons why the screening exercise should be supported”, he added.
Earlier, the Chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kabba-Bunu chapter, Comrade Bamidele Orisashe, while stating the reason for the Union’s visit to the Assembly, explained that teachers in Kabba-Bunu local government are faced with issues ranging from non-payment of salaries and disparities in the payment of salaries.
According to him, most of the cleared staff in Kabba-Bunu are yet to receive their salaries and arrears since the conclusion of the screening exercise early this year.
