The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kogi State chapter has called on the state government to sack the state and local government Auditors General from service, saying they were responsible for the pathetic situation of workers in the state.
Addressing workers during the workers day celebration held at the Confluence Stadium Lokoja, the state Chairman of NLC, Comrade Onuh Edoka, said the state Auditor General Mr. Yakubu Okala and the local government Auditor General Ahmed Ododo were responsible for the woes and the pathetic situation of workers in the state.
According to him, the two appointees of the governor compounded the faith of workers during the screening exercises, stressing that the duo failed to pay workers when they were cleared during the screening exercise.
Edoka who was re-elected as the state chairman of NLC last week in Lokoja said although it was a good intention from the government but sadly the exercise was messed up which brought untold hardship to workers in the state.
The state NLC leader said the committee that handled the screening exercise misinformed and misled the state government by not telling them the true position of things.
According to him, “Workers in the state are being owed between 7 and 30 months depending on when they get clearance from the screening committee members.”
On the issue of Ajaokuta Steel Company, the workers vowed to resist any attempt by the federal government to concession the moribund Ajaokuta steel company.
The President of Nigeria Union of Mines Workers (NUNW) Comrade Momohjimoh Salami said the Ajaokuta steel company was a national asset which should not be discarded in the name of concession.
Salami stated that if Ajaokuta steel was operational, Nigeria would have no reason to complain of unemployment as the company could provide minimum of 50,000 direct employment and thousands of more indirect employment for the teaming Nigerian youths.
“For their own selfish reason, the world powers of the United States of America, Britain and other European countries have continued to frustrate all efforts geared towards revamping the company and successive governments over the years have not demonstrated any political will,” he said.
He also expressed concern about the recent decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to decline accent to the resolution of the National Assembly calling on the Federal government to withdraw N1 billion dollars from excess crude account for the purpose of revamping Ajaokuta steel company.
