Salary: APC not an option in Kogi ― PDP aspirant

THE controversies over the non-payment of salary in Kogi State continued on Monday as a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Idris, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not an option for the State at the November governorship election.

He said the situation in the State was uncalled for and needed drastic steps.

Idris also said it was disturbing that the state had accessed billions of naira since the inception of the present administration and could not pay salaries of workers and pensioners.

Speaking in Lokoja, the state capital, he said there is no way the All Progressives Congress (APC) could be extricated from the blame and untold sufferings the people are made to go through.

Idris said information made available by the Nigeria Labour Congress (APC) showed that the state under Governor Yahaya Bello, was owing to some categories of workers 38 months salary.

ALSO READ: Why Rivers, A’Ibom, Kano, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna top list of states with jobless Nigerians ― NBS

The PDP aspirant however commended the courage exhibited by Dr Alex Kadiri and other APC stakeholders for disclosing in their petition to President Mohammadu Buhari that in spite of the humongous amount received as statutory allocation, bailout and Paris club refunds, salaries and pensions are still owed in arrears for about 38 months, with no visible projects to show for the amount accrued to the State.

According to him, the amount received by the state as disclosed by Senator Dino Melaye, was worrisome, lamenting the sufferings Kogi people are made to go through in the last 39 months.

The PDP chieftain called on the people of the state to be wary of who presides over the affairs of the State, disclosing that the previous PDP administration in the state started the payment of minimum wages with the timely payment of salaries and pensions.

While noting that following colossal damage done the state under the APC administration, Idris warned the people against making the APC an option in the next election.

He reiterated his resolve to offer purposeful leadership where every section of the state would feel the positive impact of good governance as witnessed under the past PDP administrations.

Idris also commiserated with the suffering workers and people of the state, assuring that their plight would soon be addressed with good governance, improved welfare for workers and infrastructure development across the state when the PDP takes over.