Delta APC, others fray Governor Okowa over appointment of aides after slash in workers’ salaries
There is stern condemnation following the appointment of aides by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s after slashing salaries of civil servants in Delta State, Gentechnews reports.
Investigation revealed that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa invited the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) Trade Union Congress, (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council in the state to an emergency meeting in July where the trio unions were asked to choose between retrenchment of workers and a cut in monthly salaries.
Findings indicated that the Delta State unions without consulting with the national body (NLC) accepted the cut in workers’ salary in an oil producing state like Delta, whereas states like Anambra and some Northern states are still paying the minimum wage to civil servants.
Accordingly, the state government slashed the workers’ salaries since August 2020.
This development, Gentechnews gathered has drew the irk of the All Progressives Congress, Young Nigerian Rights Organisation and others because after two weeks of the implementation of the slash in workers’ salaries, Governor Okowa swore in immediate-past National Vice Chairman of PDP, South-South, Emmanuel Ogidi, and former House of Representatives member, Sunny Emeyese, as special advisers as well as made over 50 new appointments of aides who are already presented with letters.
The All Progressives Congress, (APC), Young Nigerian Rights Organisation and others have all condemned the political appointments made by Governor Okowa.
In a statement by the state’s APC Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Imonina, the party condemned what it termed as anti-people leadership by Governor Okowa especially the reduction of workers’ salaries.
The statement read, “The All Progressives Congress in Delta State condemns in totality the pharaonic leadership style of Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa.”
The Director-General of Young Nigerian Rights Organisation, Victor Ojei, also bemoaned the action of Governor Okowa, accusing his administration of lacking vision.
Gentechnews, however learnt that Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Lagos, Ondo, Sokoto, Yobe and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others are still paying minimum wages in this COVID-19 pandemic period, yet Delta State, an oil producing state had to slash workers salaries without slashing that of political appointees as well as embarked on appointing new political aides.
