Kogi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the state government to sack the state and local government auditors-general from service.
Addressing workers in the state during the workers’ day rally held at the Confluence Stadium on Wednesday, the state Chairman of NLC, Comrade Onu Edoka alleged that the state auditor-general, Mr. Yakubu Okala and the local government auditor-general, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo were responsible for the pathetic situation of workers in the state.
According to him, the two compounded the fate of workers during the screening exercises, adding that when people were cleared they failed to pay some.
He stressed that they messed up the whole exercise, adding that they confused the government.
Edoka added that the committee that handled the screening exercise misinformed the state government by not telling them the true position of things.
He said, “Workers in the state are being owed between seven and 30 months depending on when they get clearance from the screening committee members.”
He called for the sack of members of the screening committee which he said brought about confusion due to selected clearance with attendant delay in salary payments to some category of workers.
On the issue of Ajaokuta Steel Company, the workers vowed to resist any attempt by the federal government to concession the moribund Ajaokuta steel company.
Edoka and the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Mines Workers (NUNW) Ajaokuta Steel Company Chapter, Comrade Momohjimoh Salami said the Ajaokuta steel company is a national asset which should not be discarded in the name of concession.
Instead, they said that government should set machinery in motion towards making funds available for the completion of the plant.
Salami particularly said that if Ajaokuta was operational, Nigeria would have no reason to complain of unemployment as the company could provide a minimum of 50,000 direct employment and thousands more indirect employment for teeming youths.
“For their own selfish reason, the world powers of the United States of America, Britain and other European countries have continued to frustrate all efforts geared towards revamping the company and successive governments over the years have not demonstrated any political will,” he lamented.
He also expressed concern about the recent decision of President Muhammad Buhari to decline assent to the resolution of the National Assembly calling on the Federal government to withdraw N1 billion dollars from excess crude account for the purpose of revamping Ajaokuta steel company.
Salami said that by that singular action of not assenting to the bill, the workers felt betrayed and demoralised and that this have also shown that the federal government has not demonstrated any political will to revive the company.
