Several Kogi State workers in public and civil service, have turned to begging to survive the hard economic realities in the state.

It was observed that workers, in a bid to cope with the harsh economic condition foisted on them by unpaid salaries, had devised different means to beg in order to fulfil their financial obligations.

The civil and public servants being owed about thirteen  months’ salaries by the Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration, could no longer meet their personal and family obligations.

Many of them were said to be unable to pay their bills, children’s school fees and service their accommodation expenses.

Due to their inability to pay transportation fares, most of them could no longer attend to go to their work places and church activities while persons who managed to go end up begging for fares to go back home.

Some of them said they were dying of hunger, adding that they no longer went to work because of the lack of money for transport and feeding.They recalled that Bello had promised to promptly pay salaries of workers, but wondered why the governor, who was no longer executing projects, could not pay workers.

One of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said he stopped going to work because the government had not paid him since April  2016. Surviving in Kogi State has become so difficult.



Also, two ladies working for the state government were sighted on Ajaka Road, early hours of today, begging passers-by for N100 to go home after attending a morning church programme in Ajaka, Igalamela/Odolu LGA of Kogi State.

Though many people turned them down, they leapt up in joy when eventually a Good Samaritan gave the duo N500 to go home.

A food vendor, who identified herself simply as Yaya Rekia along Emachi road Ajaka,  said the hardship had affected her so much that most of her customers no longer patronised her.

She said, “Before, my small shop used to bubble with patronage. I would finish selling before 9pm every day.

“But everything has changed. I have reduced the quantity I cook, yet I can’t finish selling my food even up to 12am. I carry them home. I am even considering closing my shop.”

However, most residents have blamed the development on the leadership style of Bello, saying he stifled the economy on assuming office as the governor of the state.

Though we appreciated the economic situation in the state, we , however, appealed to Bello to pay the workers so that they could  meet their personal and family obligations. We are on the air, calling on the government to pay the unpaid salaries.

“While we understand the economic situation in the country and how it also affects the states, we are still asking that the government should pay all the outstanding salaries of workers, particularly the pensioners and of course, the local government workers.

The official,  who did not want his name mentioned, said, “So, why is Bello so peculiar that Graphic Newspapers want to do a report on him ?

This is sad, another problem is when you begin, u might be begging people with even worse condition.

Bello has failed

serious