Local government workers in kogi state are now poised for a show down with the Laison Officers running affairs of the council in the state over allege unpaid salaries and allowances in the past six months.
The workers who accused some of the Liaison Officers of gross incompetence in finance management, highhandedness, intimidation and mal administration are threatening to shut down the councils in the next one week unless their salaries are fully settled.
They alleged that local governments in the state have been thrown into confusion and turned upside down since June when the state governor Captain Idris Wada appointed the Liaison Officers as caretaker chairmen.
However governor Wada might today douse the tension and apprehension of the workers at a meeting he plans to hold with them to look into their plight at government house, Lokoja.
The decision of the council workers for a strike to press for full payment of their salaries is coming less than one week the council of elders in the state accused governor Wada of incapability to manage a modern state like Kogi.
In a statement last week in Abuja signed by Senator Alex Kadiri, Senator Mohammed Ohiare, former PDP chairman in the state chief John Odawn, former speaker and acting governor Chief Clarence Olafemi and two governorship aspirants Air Vice Marshal Saliu Atawodi and Dr Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba. Governor Wada was accused of running Kogi into economic quagmire.
The council of elders warned that the Peoples Democratic Party in the state might die a sudden death in the state, unless the governor was called to order by President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP national chairman Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
But the council workers in their petition accused governor Wada men of short changing them by paying them half salaries in spite of regular monthly financial allocation from Abuja.
In one of the petitions from Adavi Local Government, the claim of the Liaison Officer Hon Hassan Sadiq that the state government was over deducting the council fund through the joint account was rejected by the workers
The petition was signed by chairman of the Local Government Staff Welfare Association, Comrade Mohammed Jamiu Dende, who alleged that Adavi was receiving N112m monthly.
In the petition attached with the allocation papers, the liaison officer was accused of playing over the intelligence of the workers and taking them for a ride on the ground that the council has been having between N32m and N34m left every month unaccounted for after the salary payment.
The petition alleged that Hon Hassan Sadiq resorted to intimidating the workers with sack threat when they confronted him to account for the monthly excces fund of the council.
Besides, the Liaison Officer was also alleged to have vowed not to pay the inherited three month salary arrears owed the workers in spite of the warning by the National Union of Local Government Employee.
However when contacted, the Liaison Officer confirmed that 19 out of 21 local Governments in the state are owing workers.
He admitted that he had been paying half salaries since June and blamed it on low allocation from joint account and the huge work force
He said that he needed about N70m monthly to pay workers while he has been collecting less than N60m as monthly allocation.
According to him only Lokoja and Okene councils out of 21 are paying full salary.Hon Sadiq refused comment on the allegation of over deduction of the council money by the state government through joint account
