Yahaya Bello’s Unwillingness to Meet Financial Obligations to Workers, Pensioners Legendary – Former Gov.

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It is curious that an administration that is indebted to pensioners will spend about a whopping N60m to publish a controversial so-called pension probe report…

 

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris has denied the state government’s claims that his administration mismanaged pension funds and plunged the state into huge debts through loans and bonds which he allegedly obtained while in office.

This is contained in a statement signed by Dickson Achadu, Kogi PDP Director of Research and Documentation and made available to newsmen in Lokoja on Wednesday.

In the statement, the director accused current Governor Yahaya Bello of labouring hard to tarnish the hard earned image of Idris, his successor Capt. Idris Wada and their party through spurious allegations that cannot stand the test of truth.

“It is worthy of note that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, did not obtain any foreign or bank loans and could not have bequeathed any. Again, we challenge Fanwo to furnish the public with any contrary details or issue an apology to the former governor. It is curious that an administration that is indebted to pensioners will spend about a whopping N60m to publish a controversial so-called pension probe report in the media. No doubts, that would have put food on the table of hundreds of pensioners.”

The state government had on Monday published a 97-page advertorial in a national daily where it claimed to have uncovered N4.3bn pension fraud perpetrated between 2010 and 2015, when the PDP produced governors of the state.

Kingsley Fanwo, the Director General on media and publicity to Governor Bello, expatriated on the reports and accused the PDP of creating problems that make the current administration unable to pay salaries.

But Achadu accused the government of falsehood.

“Yahaya Bello’s inability or unwillingness to meet its financial obligations to workers, pensioners and contractors is legendary. Each time the government makes an attempt to explain it away, it comes off worse and more laughable.

“The Nine years Alhaji Ibrahim Idris governed Kogi, still remain the golden years in the history of the State. Under him pension funds were judiciously applied and pensioners were paid their monthly allowances as and when due. His administration also introduced pension reforms that ensured retiring staffs were immediately placed on pension starting from the month they retired. In addition, he increased pension benefits through the introduction of relativity, which ensured the least paid pensioner earned a living minimum pension up from the paltry allowance they were being paid.

“Due to the high figure of outstanding gratuity benefits which he inherited and paucity of funds, gratuities were scheduled on the basis of first come, first served subject to availability of funds. The administration religiously implemented the gratuity time table fairly without let or hindrance. Certainly, Ibrahim Idris did not supervise the mismanagement of pension funds or any funds for that matter, as erroneously alleged by Governor Bello’s garrulous spokesperson.

“We challenge the Bello administration not only to publish the names of accounts where pension funds were fraudulently paid, dates of transactions and other account details like lodgments, withdrawals but also prove how the former governor was complicit in such scam.

“It is on record that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris supervised one of the most thorough and prudent administration’s in the history of Kogi State. The administration’s human capital package was superb. For the nine years he was in the saddle he cleared three months salary and pension arrears which he inherited, paid salaries, pensions, impress, leave bonuses and other emoluments as and when due, and was the first to implement the N18,000 minimum wage in the North. The administration also paid bursary WAEC/NECO examination fees for all eligible students even as it did not default in its responsibilities to contractors. The greater Lokoja water scheme, International Market, Specialist Hospital, Confluence Stadium, State Secretariat Phase II housing estates and others too numerous to mention still set the Ibro years aside.

“Fanwo in his futile attempt to justify non-payment of salary/pensions in the State ended up playing the ostrich. Not surprising though, since the government has been running from pillar to post on this issue. First it was ghost workers that over bloated the wage bill, then began the longest screening and staff verification exercise in the history of any people which is yet to be concluded three years after. The administration is now blaming the non payment of salaries on inherited debts and embezzled pension funds.

“This government should halt the charade, stop maligning the hard earned reputation of others and face up to its duties. Kogi people who are owed between 4 – 27 months are wailing and tired of excuses. The Bello administration should start thinking of how to account for the Bail out funds, balance of the 20bn bond, ecological funds, Paris Club refunds, federal project refunds and the monthly allocations it had frittered away in loose living. It’s death knell is close.

“Our great party the PDP and its two illustrious former governors cannot be intimidated. The mission to rescue fatherland from a band of prodigals is a task that must be accomplished. We sympathize with our pensioners and the hard working good people of Kogi State, urge them to read between the lines and get their PVCs ready. For the clueless administration in Lugard House, defeat is imminent.

“Finally, once more I challenge the administration to publish evidence of either foreign or domestic Loans taken by the administration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris for which they now blame for their inability to pay salaries. They should do this or forever shut up their defaming mouth,” the statement read.


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