The N28billion bailout package recently offered to 35 states of the federation by President Muhhammadu Buhari is currently causing a disagreement between the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress and the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the state.
The Delta State APC argued that alleged attempts by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to take credit for the bailout meant for the payment of the backlog of the salaries owed local government workers, was uncalled for.
Gov Okowa does not feel the pain of workers
The Delta APC Chairman, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, who applauded President Buhari for the relief package extended to the workers, noted that the gesture would bring succor to the families of the council workers in the state during this yuletide period.
Erue, however, said that the APC was appalled by Governor Okowa’s alleged attempt to take credit for the bailout, adding that the governor should learn to reap where he sowed and stop being crafty.
The state APC chairman tongue-lashed Governor Okowa for expressing what he regarded as “hypocritical empathy” for the pains of council workers.
Governor Okowa had declared during a recent Peoples Democratic Party campaign rally for the January 6, 2018 Delta state local government elections at Ozoro, Isoko North and Oleh, Isoko South LGAs, that his administration was not owing workers’ salaries.
Okowa’s statement incurred the wrath of the leadership of the APC who accused Okowa of being insensitive to the plight of the local government workers in the state.
Erueh said that Governor Okowa was trying to mislead Deltans by saying that he cared for workers, adding that the people were aware that he (Okowa) was only forced to pay up because of the forthcoming council elections.
He said, “The truth remains that Okowa does not feel the pain of workers. If he did, he would have long approved payment to them just as President Buhari did when he gave bailout to all the states to pay workers’ salaries a few months after he was sworn in and at a time when Federal Government revenue was even on the decline.
“Now that Delta State allocation has improved tremendously, we would have expected Okowa to release more than N800 million, being the exact equivalent of the loan that the Federal government approved.
“The truth remains that it is President Buhari’ decision to make 2017 Christmas season better for workers by approval of N28billion to pay salaries, which has now brought a smile on the faces of many civil servants. This was what prompted Governor Okowa to release N800million, which is the exact loan that was advanced by President Buhari to Delta State. Therefore, the credit for this relief should rightly go to the APC-led Federal Government.
“We are all witnesses to recent protests by retirees in Delta State to the state’s House of Assembly and Government House to pour out their grievances under the umbrella of the Association of Retired Local Government Staff and Primary School Teachers, where they accused Gov. Okowa of insensitivity and non-payment of entitlements owed them since 2013, and on the misuse of President Buhari’s bailout funds and the Paris Club refunds received by the state.”
Prophet Erue disclosed that President Buhari had, from 2015 till date, released over N2trillion to the states as a direct response of his desire to ease the pressure on the finances of states and their inability to meet up with payment of workers’ salaries and pension commitments.
This, he said included a salary relief package of N338billion in 2015, N575billion in form of a restructuring programme bond that helped to restructure the high-interest bank loans that was weighing down state governments into a 20-year Federal Government bond just to release more funds into their coffers.
Moreover, he said that another sum of N200billion was shared from the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas dividends, solid minerals savings and Petroleum Profit Tax, while a further N90billion loan was authorised for states.
Erue added, “We can’t forget the famous N522.74billion first tranche of the Paris Club refund in December 2016, followed by a second tranche of N243.8billion released in July 2017 with a special request that a large chunk of the money be used to fund workers unpaid salaries and pensions.
“Delta State’s share of these releases were very substantial, but Governor Okowa did not hearken to the pain and cries of the workers. Rather, in his usual crafty manner, he kept advancing a vain and heartless argument that the state government was not responsible for local government staff salaries, retired LGA workers and primary school teachers.”
