20th DECEMBER DEADLINE; A COMMITMENT FULFILLED IN THE BREACH AMIDST DUBIOUS CLAIMS BY KOGI STATE GOVERNMENT




That the administration of Alh. Yahaya Bello inherited a backlog of arrears of salaries is not in contention as also the intention to rid the payroll of the state of ghost workers that have been a drain on scarce resources but what has been constant since the screening exercise commenced is a persistent display of contradictions in the modalities that have made taking full advantage of all the benefits that will accrue from the exercise a mirage; so far, it has been ‘abacradabra’: the more seen, the less understood. Various statements have emanated from


government through some of its officials rationalizing why we had to take the rough path out of the woods but as it stands, there is limit to the level of patience a government should expect from its workforce and pensioners.
Since the screening journey started over nine months ago several deadlines remain dead and what we have a string of broken promises but when Gov. Yahaya Bello personally gave 20th December as the date genuine workers should be paid their outstanding; it gave succor to the hopeless helplessness of many and their dependants. Despite this, I was cautious because in the run up to other festive periods, there have been promises that remained unfulfilled expectations. With the pomp the gospel was proclaimed, and coming from the Paymaster himself, I had hoped this time things will be different and a day after the deadline, it is vital to do an appraisal of the situation of the arrears of salary/pension by placing the commitment of government against the reality on ground.
When cyber entrepreneurs invaded the air impressing on Kogites why they have to be thankful for the chance to be paid for arrears of work done, I knew something was definitely wrong. With the time taken to conduct the screening exercise, the spectacle of so much complaint of non-payment is a manifestation of an assignment that was conducted and concluded in default. It is expected that by now, government should have released the report of the whole screening exercise with facts and figures that should sincerely furnish Kogites with the following:
- Total workforce before screening
- Number of ghost/Diaspora workers so far
- Workforce post-screening
- Total pensioners
- What percentage of the confirmed workers/pensioners paid so far
- What is the real status of those yet to be paid
To promote transparency and probity, Kogites must be informed in actual terms what government has received so far as other states have done. Government should do more to resolve the issues surrounding the salaries and pensions because historically it has been the banana peel of every administration that has slipped in Kogi state. Though the percentage payment is not peculiar to Kogi state but government must exhibit sincerity by telling the people the truth at all times. For instance, paying 60% of net wage for 5 months is equivalent to paying 3 months’ salary. Another oddity is the fluctuating nature of take-home pay resulting in different sums for different months.
The employer-employee relationship is considered a hiring relationship with rights and privileges. In one of the Hadeeths, Abu Hurayrah that the Holy Prophet [SAW] said “Allah said, ‘I will be the opponent of three on the Day of Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and one who hires a workman and having taken full work from him, does not pay him his wages” ‘Abdullahi Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet [SAW], said ‘pay the laborer his wages before his sweat dries’
The Bible is quite clear I Romans 4:4; ‘Now to one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due . . . . . .
The task is daunting but surmountable if tackled with genuine commitment to serve the people devoid of all forms of rapaciousness. There is no justification for the present situation even with supposed terrestrial beings involved and sadly many died hopeless and helpless while waiting to be paid their wages. Reports show a lot still needs to be done and while doing the needful; more living genuine workers/pensioners should not be forcefully transformed to celestial beings. A sordid situation of one family with three workers with the misfortune of not confirming their status after ten months is better imagined than experienced.
Ironically, none of the busted ‘ghosts’ have been made to face the full wrath of the law neither is there any verifiable disclosure of refunded loot. Until the unpaid salaries and pensions are resolved, the present will continue to have integrity issues. Placed in a similar unfavorable circumstance, one wonders how those, whose indiscretion and ineptitude have elongated the agony of many will feel.
It behooves on leadership to ensure they function optimally in discharging the responsibilities inherent in their duties and the bottom line is, the buck stops on a table; the Governor’s.
The Holy Books is clear on what being stingy with the truth is; in fact the Bible says, ‘Thou shall not lie’ [Lev. 19:11] and Proverbs 19:9 is explicit; ‘lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are His delight’ Lying in Islam is Haram and the Quran is explicit on this; Allah the Almighty says in Surah an-Nahl vs 105, ‘only they forge the lie who do not believe in Allah’s communications , and they are liars’ And in Surah az-Zumar it is mentioned: “surely Allah does not guide him aright who is a liar, ungrateful” [Surah az-Zumar 39:3. The sermon/ Khutbah above is prompted by a story by News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] captioned ‘KOGI CLEARS SALARY ARREARS’ We all know this is not true including the authors , may God save Kogi state especially its workers. Amen

http://www.charlesaiyenigba.com/2016/12/20th-december-deadline-commitment.html


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