IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

Socio economic activities were paralyzed on Tuesday as workers of parastatals and agencies in Imo State took to the streets of Owerri to demand for their unpaid salaries from the state government.

The protesters, who were adorned in black attires sobbed openly as they matched through the major roads, pouring insults and cursing the state governor, Rochas Okorocha, claiming that the governor was responsible for their plight.

Some of the workers who were seen by our correspondent rolling on the roads and thereby causing gridlock, carried placards with inscription as “Rochas Idi Amin, Rochas Nebukadeneza, pay us our salary”, “Our children are suffering, no school fees.”

One of the protesters who declined to mention his identity disclosed that the reason for their dressing in black attire was to show solidarity for their colleagues from the judiciary who died on Monday out of frustration owing to nine months’ salary owed them by the state government.

Daily Times gathered that departments from the state parastatals which owed backlog of salary include the Water Board, owing 12 months; Library Board, eight months; Due P rocess, 9 months; Imo Marketing Board, 10 months; Imo Specialist Hospital, 13 months; Hospital Management Board, nine months, and Imo ADP, 10 months.

Meanwhile, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Austin Chilakpu has explained reason for the workers’ protest, saying that the workers doubted the ability of NLC to bring succour to the distressed workers.

He disclosed that the leadership of NLC had earlier on November 13 promised the workers that the state government would pay their salaries on November 17 based on the agreement reached with the government, but it failed. According to him, the failure made the workers to lose confidence in them.

However, the state governor had earlier blamed the workers for the delay in the payment of their salaries, accusing the workers of refusing to collect their pay cheques.

Courtesy, Daily Times, Nigeria