The Director General, Media and Strategy to the Governor of Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo has debunked news doing the round that there were protests in Lokoja over the reports of the Staff Verification Reports submitted to the State Government recently.
A number of staff were affected by the screening exercise which was undertaken by the government to sanitize the civil service.
Briefing newsmen in Lokoja, Tuesday, the Governor’s spokesman said the report of violence was the handiwork of “the enemies of the state who want the waste of resources on ghost workers and unintended beneficiaries to continue”, saying, “government will soon move against those who have stolen from the state’s coffers through the ghost workers syndrome”.
“There was peace across the state yesterday as the people believe in the credibility and necessity of the exercise”, he said, insisting that reports of violence were the “figment of the imaginations of the promoters of ghost workers and those jealous of the success of the exercise”.
He said the pictures used by some online media were those taken a long time ago when workers were agitated in the course of the exercise, saying the state has remained peaceful since the release of the lists of genuine workers were released while those on the problem lists were duly informed of the issues they need to clear with the screening committee.
“Workers are not interested in protests as they have the opportunity to prove their cases through the right channels.
However, if the fallacious news was aimed at testing the will of the people to protect innocent Kogites against violence, we wish to make it clear here that this government shall not be found wanting in maintaining peace and tranquility across the state as any attempt to instigate the people against government will be resisted within the constitutional powers of government.
“We are prepared to listen to genuine complaints. Democracy is the hallmark of the present administration. We shall not condone any form of violence against the Kogi people”.
Fanwo said government will take care of affected workers through its social investment scheme to create prosperity in the state, appealing to the people to cooperate with government in its drive to reposition the state.
