Unpaid wages have turned Kogi workers to beggars

Kogi State’s Bassa Local Government Area employees are pleading for assistance after the state government failed to pay their salaries for November.

In this special study, PulseNets examines the suffering experienced by local government employees and retirees as a result of the Bassa Land problem.

Since 2016, the Bassa Local Government has been mired in turmoil, with a number of fatalities, property destruction, and internal displacement. The Bassa Komu and the Egbira Mozum are at odds with one another. Both tribes have been at odds with one another, according to PulseNets, amid disagreements around fish ponds.

Although a committee of inquiry had been established by the government to look into the problem, nothing had been done. This new development made the situation for those who work for Bassa Local Government much worse.

According to PulseNets, local government employees and pensioners have begun receiving percentage pay. Some Local Government employees, including seniors, allegedly take 20 percent of their wages home each month, while other employees only receive N1,200.

Speaking to PulseNets, Mohammed, a local government worker in Bassa, LGA, referred to the government’s move as evil and intolerable.

He claimed that due to the communal unrest in the Local Government, the State Government delayed their wages.

He insisted that the Government should be transparent about the reasons why their salaries were being withheld.

Explaining further, Mohammed said, “How will a Government say they are not paying Local Government workers in Bassa salaries because of the pocket crisis in some part of the Local Government. As I speak to you, we are now begging for food.

“They said if they pay us, we will use the money to finance the crisis. How on earth will they come up with such a flimsy excuse? How much are they paying us? What of the innocent people who know nothing about the crisis ravaging our Local Government?

“The Government should come up with another excuse. Let us talk of Borno State that Boko Haram has been causing mayhem for many years. Why didn’t Governor Zulum seize Local Government workers’ salaries? This is corruption in the highest order. This is our money.

“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to help us intervene. Christmas is around the corner. We don’t have anything to buy food or clothes for our children”.

Councilors were impacted by the Government’s failure to pay them in November, according to a lawmaker in Bassa Local Government who asked that his name not be used.

“I can’t imagine myself as a lawmaker here in Bassa suffering and smiling. It is not as if the Government is doing any road here or providing relief material for the people. The relief materials we received are from NEMA. This money they are hoarding, are they saying when the crisis stops, they will pay us our outstanding salaries.

“Every other Local Government in Kogi State has collected their salaries, why is Bassa LGA different? We can’t continue like this. Some people in this Government are allegedly sitting on this money. They are using Local Government workers’ money and pensioners to enrich themselves. They should not forget that what goes around comes around. They won’t remain in power forever. We are just rubber stamp councillors”.

Kogi NUP Reaction:

The Bassa Local Government pensioners’ November salaries were not paid by the government, according to the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Kogi State. Engr. Clement Ohida, the State NUP Chairman, told PulseNets that he understood the suffering of the retirees and emphasised that efforts were still being made to ensure that their wages were paid.

“November pension has not been paid. My finding is that the pension board is still discussing with the government on how to pay them what they are entitled to. I will not speculate on why they have not been paid, but it is not unconnected with the security situation and in-fighting going on there. You know, if the pension board wants to pay them, the funds come from the Local Government.

“If the DLG and Treasurer are not able to function properly, it will definitely hamper the movement of funds to pay them. It is pathetic. I will appeal to the Government to look into it and ensure that they are paid promptly. Stakeholders in Bassa should also look inward and maintain peace so that all that is needed to be done to progress their lives, and facilitate the celebration of Christmas is done on time. Indigenes of Bassa both at home and outside the environment should put heads together to maintain peace,” he said.

When reached, Hon. Muktar Muhammed, the chairman of the Bassa Local Government, said he had no knowledge why his local government’s employees and pensioners hadn’t gotten their paychecks when other local governments did. However, he directed our writer to contact Abdullahi Salihu, the Local Government DLG, for more information.

Upon being contacted, the DLG Bassa Local Government instructed PulseNets to speak with the Local Government Chairman about the delay in paying the November salaries for employees and pensioners of the Local Government in the Bassa LGA.

His words, “Ours is just a directive to hold on. I cannot speak about the reason why only Bassa LGA salary is being withheld. All I can tell you is that we have a directive to hold on yet, but the reason we can’t give. Probably, the Executive Chairman of the Local Government might know the reason.

“Ours is a directive to DLG and Treasurers to Bassa Local Government to hold on yet. We work alongside the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy affairs. The directive came from there. But the reasons we can’t tell.”

As of the time this article was filed, all attempts to contact the Kogi State Ministry of Local Government for comment on the situation failed.