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Civil servants in Imo State have said they have resorted to borrowing money in a bid to survive the harsh economic situation in the state.
The civil servants alleged that they had not received salaries since January.
Our correspondent gathered that due to non-payment of salaries, most workers did not go to work regularly.
The workers criticised Governor Rochas Okorocha, for his inability to cater for workers’ welfare.
“He (Okorocha) is only interested in projects like road expansion and flyover when his subjects are languishing in severe hunger and starvation,” a civil servant told our correspondent on condition of anonymity.
A worker in the Ministry of Health, who gave her name as Mrs. Juliet Dimgba, said relations she used to get money from to go to work had stopped lending her any money.
Dimgba said, “My greatest problem is that my landlord is breathing down my neck. The rent for my apartment expired in December, 2015. It has been quite difficult for me to feed my three children.”
Mr. Nkemdeme, another Civil Servant, said he regretted the second term in office of Okorocha.
According to him, during the governor’s first term in office, salaries were promptly paid each month.
“Between 2011 and 2015, there was prompt payment of salaries. There was no slash in the salaries. I planned my life very well. I was able to marry and have two kids. But to feed the children and take care of other things is now a nightmare,” Nkemdeme said.
Reacting to the claim of the civil servants, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that the governor did not owe the workers.
Onwuemeodo said payment of February salary had commenced. He said the salary could have been paid before now but that there was a delay.
“By the time they know what is happing in other states concerning the issue of salary, they will know that Owelle Okorocha has good things for them,” he added.
Meanwhile, a worker with the State House of Assembly was seen by our correspondent at Akanchanwa road beg for a lift to his house. He told our correspondent that he had only eaten N50 tapioca with coconut in the office because he had no money.
The civil servant blamed the situation on Okorocha.
Some businessmen in Ekeonunwa market equally complained of hard times. One of them, Justin Isika said, “I don’t know how to pay N110, 000 for my four children in private primary school.”
When contacted on the matter, the Imo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Austin Chilakpu, stated that the NLC had scheduled a press conference on Thursday at the Government House, Owerri, to make known its stance on the economic crisis.
However, Onwuemeodo denied knowledge of the conference.
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Source: Punch News