Rivers Workers Mull Protest Votes Over Delayed Salary

As election fever grips the country, Rivers workers are grumbling that their salaries for the month of March have not been paid. They claim that they would not be able to stand, because of hunger, the rigors of queuing and waiting at the polling booths between 7am and 4.30 pm and perhaps stay beyond that time to protect their votes.

P.M.NEWS gathered this morning that many workers insinuated that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is the ruling party, may have diverted the state funds for campaigns and elections in the state.

Some Civil Servants who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that “Unless the state government manages the situation very well, most Workers in the State and their dependants who are of voting age may either boycott the polls, or cast protest votes in favour of other parties”.

When contacted, David Iyofo, the Director of Media and Publicity, Amaechi Campaign Organisation said that salaries have been paid by the Rivers State, and that payment started two days ago.

On his part, Blessing Wikina, the Acting Chief Press Secretary to the Governor explained that “The Rivers State Government has paid salaries for workers into the designated banks. The slight delay arose from computing the total package for each worker based on the agreement reached between the organised Labour represented by the state branches of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, that 70 percent enhanced salary and allowances be paid to workers.

“As I speak to you now, salaries have been paid to all the banks. We are aware that some banks have not posted the salaries into the accounts of some workers, who are their customers. This is a mere internal technical problem of individual banks. Rivers State Government does not owe its workers as it stands.” He appealed to the workers who are grumbling to remember that it is their civic duty to cast their votes, which happen once in every four years.

—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt