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Chinelo Obogo
Igala Lagos Party Group, a socio cultural organisation, has said that the payment of workers salary arrears by the Kogi State government is an indication of Governor Yahaya Bello’s competence.
Speaking in Lagos yesterday, the coordinators of the group, Felix Olame and Paul Austine, both said that Kogi workers are ‘happy’ with Bello for offsetting their arearrs and will support his re-election.
Kogi Government had received N30.8 billion bailout funds last month from the Federal Government to aid in offsetting outstanding salaries after the organised labour accused Bello of owing workers 39 months salary arrears.
Olame said Bello couldn’t initially pay salaries because there were many ghost workers on the government’s pay roll.
“Why it was difficult for Yahaya Bello to pay salary is because the system was duped by previous administrations.
Ghost workers were more than the real workers in Kogi and Bello was able to weed them out, that is why they are fighting him. If you ask anyone what their complaint against Bello is, the only thing they will say is that there is no salary payment.
“There were many ghost workers and there were incidences of some people living outside Kogi but receiving salaries. Bello was able to stop this fraud and that is why many of those affected were complaining.
“But as I speak, Kogi workers have now been paid from the reports i received.
Many of those fighting him now are doing so because they are no longer getting government patronage like they used to.
“Before he became governor, Kogi was known for tribalism such that if you are not from a particular tribe, you cannot be governor but Bello was able to change it. Before Bello, APC wasn’t very strong in Kogi, but at present, the party is very vibrant and that is why we are supporting his re-election,”Olame said.
