Whoever advised Governor Yahaya Bello that prioritizing developmental projects at the expense of the wellbeing of workers in the state is unwise, an enemy of the state and government.
The past days witnessed misplacement of priority and lack of feeling and respect for workers in the state who are experiencing the most dehumanizing condition since creation of the state. The “new direction” government and its team of kindergartens rolled out drums in a funfair-like mood and stormed different parts of the state in an open display of gross ineptitude and incompetence, flagging off re-construction of roads and other projects across the state. Nobody is saying construction or re-construction of developmental projects are bad, but when it has to be at the expense of the wellbeing of the masses one begins to wonder if this state government is really thinking aright.
Kogi workers were subjected to the most torturing and unnecessary hardship in the last one year all in the name of screening that would never end. Workers who had to travel from long distances across the state to be screened did so at their own financial expense and risk of their lives, as a number of accidents were recorded with lives lost. The state government had couple of days ago constituted a “screening appeal committee” like starting another round of an unending exercise. Some persons have said jokingly that “after the screening appeal committee finishes their job, the state government will still inaugurate a screening supreme committee”. For me and many kogites, this is only but another ploy and tactics by the state government to delay the payment of genuine workers for a few more months, waste the state’s money on paying needless allowances to the individuals who have been picked and continue to put workers through the stress of having to travel around on empty stomach to be screened for the umptied time.
Getting priorities right is the hallmark of a sane and a competent government, that is the reason why Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos has stand out amongst his peers, Kebbi state has become the modern rice hub of the nation, Taraba state has become a rallying point in terms of modern tea production and Kwara state has remained the most peaceful state in the federation. Subjecting the state’s workforce to abject poverty and server hunger only to be gallivanting around in celebration of flag offs of projects has exposed the fact that the Yahaya Bello administration is one that is inhumane and lacked the capacity to get its priorities right.
How does it make an iota of sense that a responsible government expects people who finds it extremely difficult to feed, workers who cannot afford to pay their light bills, medical bills not to talk of paying the school fees of their children and wards to appreciate any construction of projects? Giving the nature of kogi state as a civil service one, any right thinking person would know and understand and that the best and only way to put smiles on the faces of the people is through prompt payment of worker’s salaries and pensions. Many workers have lost their lives during the last marathon screening and many more lives may be lost in days to come when the so called “screening appeal committee” finally commences work, I just hope somebody is not using the blood of kogi workers for sacrifice in order to attain and achieve more political powers.
– Hussain Obaro
oseniobaro@yahoo.com
