NGO urges Bayelsa Govt to deploy secondtranche of Paris Club refunds to defray salary arrears

A Non-Governmental Organisation, (NGO),the Patriotic Citizens of Nigeria (PACON), on Thursday urged the Bayelsa Government to use its share of  the  expected second tranche of the Paris Club refunds to settle backlogs of salaries of civil servants.

PACON also called on the government in the same to promptly release the local government share of the fund  to enable them pay backlogs of salaries which ranged from six months to 12 months.

The NGO offered the advice in a statement released to newsmen in Yenagoa and signed by Mr Aluzu Augustine and Mr Powedei, Arch-Convener and Co.Convener of the NGO.

It noted that the government had been constantly hiding under economic recession to deny workers their wages and pay them half salaries.

“It is worrisome that only Bayelsa State government is backward in terms of salary payment compared to her counterparts in the south-south region, despite her huge resources and allocations.

“It is on record that the N14.5 billion that came into the state some months ago as a result of the first disbursement of the Paris Club refunds could not be effectively and convincingly accounted for by the Bayelsa State government.

“We urge the government to put on a human face and pay all salary arrears in other to alleviate the untold hardship presently militating against workers and indeed inhabitants of the state”, the group stated.

The Bayelsa government and its workforce held divergent views on the current salary arrears, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, Chief Press Secretary to Gov Dickson had put the arrears at three months.

But Mr Tari, Dounana, Chairman of Bayelsa chapter of Trade Union Congress (TUC) and his Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) counterpart Mr John Ndiomu unanimously told NAN that workers were owed six months salary.

The facts are there and we cannot be lying on issues like this, I can be quoted on this, workers are having salary arrears of six months and we met with government on this issue only last week.

It is likely that those claiming that we are not being owed do not have the details, we met with the government finance team and they set up a committee to work out the payment plan, Dounana said.