The Chairman of Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance (APDA), Kogi State chapter, Honourable Abdulmumini Ibrahim has described the unceremonious sack of top civil servants in the state as an unpleasant New Year gift.
Ibrahim, while addressing newsmen in Lokoja on Monday, berated Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for inflicting unnecessary pains on civil servants in the state.
He said Governor Bello is not living up to his claims that he is a protegé of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Governor Yahaya Bello recently announced that he is a replica of President Buhari in Kogi State. However, his actions are not similar to that of Mr. President. His new found love for percentage salaries and arbitrary dismissal of directors in the civil services is not a semblance of the person of President Buhari.
“On the 1st January, 2018, we saw and listened to the nation-wide broadcast of Mr President outlining areas of intervention Nigerians should expect in the new year. President Buhari acknowledged the needless pains Nigerians had to endure, particularly the unfortunate fuel crisis. He used the opportunity to roll out what we should expect in 2018. Well, some persons in some quarters felt his broadcast didn’t touch some of their expectations, but at least, he gave us insight in what 2018 will look like.
“The people of Kogi state were expecting similar broadcast by the Governor highlighting how the state government will address issues that borders on our contemporary challenges. Since our Governor said he is a replica of President Buhari, we waited to hear of interventions, policies and programmes that will change the lives of our people in 2018. But our Governor, in his chat, chose to break our hearts by giving the state civil service a shocking blow. He came up with an alarming sack of 1, 774 workers!
“We sympathise with our people as we embark on this painful, needless and vision-less political sojourn. It is obvious, the path taken by this current administration in Kogi State will lead us nowhere. The state government’s resort to payment of percentage pensions and salaries to Kogi state workers in unfortunate. This is coming on the heels of about six billion Naira Paris Club Refund adding up to November and December allocations from the Federation account.
“APDA shares the pain of our people, considering the torture and agony they are going through. We call on the governor to retrace his steps. It is not too late. He is not making us proud at all,” he said.
He called on striking doctors in the state to consider re-opening negotiations with the state government in the interest of the masses. He appealed to government to return to negotiation table with the striking doctors as the impoverished masses in the state cannot afford the cost of medical services in private hospitals.
