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I was privileged to be a part of those that packaged the request for Bailout for Kogi State as Senior Special Assistant to the then Governor on Debt Management. Kogi got the highest Bailout of #51B because the request was well and professionally packaged. I will give details some other time.
I never in my widest imagination thought many Civil Servants will not build houses, buy cars or do something meaningful with the Bailout.
I thought it was a blessing in disguise for Civil Servants in the sense that accumulated salaries of five to six months would be paid to them at once. For someone who hadn’t saved from his salary before going to be paid so much as accumulated salaries, I thought, no matter how reckless they are they would still have been able to do something meaningful.
Unfortunately, we have been told that apart from the uncleared who are now cleared, all Civil Servants have been paid their salaries including the areas.
Now my concerns.
Are our Civil Servants so reckless with their finances that such a windfall was paid and they did nothing significant with it?
Did they invest the windfall in intangible assets?
Or was the payment made in piecemeal such that they were unable to make good use of it?
Has the Present Administration devoured our Civil Servants?
And so many other thoughts running through my mind.
I once wanted to sell a Toyota Bus and one Civil Servant indicated interest in buying it. He pleaded with me to keep the bus for him. I waited for four months and he was not paid his salary areas which he wanted to use for the transaction. I sold the Bus to a businessman in Lokoja. I am not aware the financial situation of the Civil Servant has changed as things are still the same with him.
May I therefore plead with Government to make lump sum payment to those that have just been cleared and those pardoned so that we can see the Change in their living condition.
12 months salaries paid to someone within a month should make significant difference in his life.
– Pastor Femi Obalemo
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