THE Kogi State Council of the National Labour Congress (NLC) has disclaimed a statement by the Kogi State government that the its chairperson, Comrade Onuh Edoka had confirmed to newsmen that Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration was not owing workers salary arrears.
The NLC said the government’s statement was a trick to set the NLC leadership against the state’s workforce.
The State government had in response to former Director General of the Progressive Governor’s Forum, Salihu Lukman, who had accused Governor Yahaya Bello of trying to sell the APC to the highest bidder, as the Kogi governor was owing salary; said the state was not only up to date but prompt with salary payment.
The publication which was made by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo,; further claimed that the State NLC Chairman, Onuh Edoka, had confirmed the up-to-date salary payment to newsmen at an unspecified event.
But the labour union in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday and signed by Comrade Paul Omale, Kogi State NLC Secretary, accused the State government of deliberate falsehood to cause disunity within the rank and file of the state’s workers.
“The attention of the leadership of the organised Labour in Kogi has been drawn to a story published in many national dailies of 6th March, 2022 alleging that the NLC chairman Onuh Edoka confirmed that no percentage salary was paid to Kogi state workers.
“The story was in the 6th March, 2022 editions of Punch, Guardian, Daily Independent, Thisday, Daily Trust, Vanguard, Sun, and Blueprint.
“The author [Kogi State Government] of the story was clearly on a mission to set the workers of the state against the leadership of the organised Labour.
“There was no such interview or press statement issued by the NLC chairman, Comrade Onuh Edoka to any media houses.
“The organised Labour in the state is amazed at how some reputable media houses could be used to publish such an untrue and misleading story.
“On the issue of the percentage salaries paid in the month of February, the state government, through the Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Ashiru, issued press statement to explain what necessitated the payment of February salary in percentages with a promise that the balance will be paid in the preceding month for state civil servants.
“The Local Government councils also paid percentages to workers at that level.
“How can the NLC chairman, Edoka turn around to confirm that no percentage salary was paid when the government had through a press release by the Commissioner for Finance offered explanation for the percentage salaries paid in the state?
“We wish to call on the workers of the state to ignore the publication as it was done by mischief makers to cause disaffection between the workforce and the leadership of the organised Labour in the state.
“Workers should be rest assured that their welfare at all times remains the topmost priority of the labour leadership.
“We wish to advise media houses in the country not to throw the ethics of journalism profession to the dogs, stressing that a situation where nearly all the leading national dailies in the country published a fake story at the same time for whatever pecuniary reasons is most unfortunate”
