By Olatunde Odimayo.
There was mild drama on Thursday at the Kogi State House of Assembly when the chairman of the staff screening and verification committee, Alhaji Yakubu Okala failed to send the screening report to the house of Assembly as requested on Tuesday.
In a letter sent to the house, and read by the majority leader Mathew Kolawole, Alhaji Okala said the report has been been submitted to the governor.
According to the letter, the committee had already been disbanded, saying that since the report has been submitted to the governor, the house should direct their request to the Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for further actions.
However, the Speaker, Rt. Honourable Umar Imam directed the joint committee on pension, judiciary and local government to forward a letter to the chairman of staff screening and verification committee, Alhaji Yakubu Okala in his personal capacity as former chairman to forward the final report to the August Assembly latest Monday 23 January 2017.
Recall that the House on Tuesday 17th January 2017, directed the committee to submit it report to the 6th assembly within 24 hours following a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Igalamela-Odolu constituency, Honorable Friday Sanni Makama.
Honourable Friday Sanni, who tagged his motion “save the soul of Kogi workers”, said he was constrained to move this motion considering the overwhelming evidences of non-payment of state and local government workers in the state and the consuming suffering that is perpetually leading to high poverty status, disease, and death of their people.
He stated clearly before his colleagues that, the screening that started since the inception of the current administration has lingered on without an end. Honourable Makama expressed concern that both the initial failed exercise by the screening committee and the second screening exercise by the re-screening were both incapacitated, hence failed to deliver workers in the state from the current unbearable situation.
