PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY(PDP), PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER, 20/22 YAKUBU GOWON WAY OPP NTA JOS

11TH DAY OF JANUARY 2021

GOVERNOR LALONG HAS LOST HIS SENSE OF REASONING

The Plateau State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) condemns in totality Governor Lalongs inhuman action on the peaceful, law abiding Plateau State Local Government workers who have been on a peaceful protest demanding for their right.

The party believes that governance requires positive response in solving conflicts in meeting the needs of the masses in a democratic manner that impact on peoples life’s and not the primitive approach against the people he is supposed to protect.

What happened to protesting local government workers was an outrageous attack on the fundamental rights of not only the protesting workers but all Plateau citizens.

This grown abuse of power shown by the Governor clearly shows that he is truly without ideas and needs to know and understand that even as a Governor there is a limit to intimidation. His action is highly irresponsible for harassing and intimidating civil servants who are demanding justice against low wages and unjust leadership. It is evidently clear that he has completely run out of leadership ideas

Secondly, his statement through the loquacious Commissioner for information that Dan Manjang is not only disappointing but disgraceful and scandalous, because it is full of deceit and woefully fails to address the present realities between the civil servants and the government, having promised them immediate implementation of the #30, 000 minimum wage while still at the presidential villa, Abuja. The question now is, why now referring the workers to a joint negotiating committee? Why was he in a hurry to announce the full implementation of the #30 000 to the press while still at the presidential villa without waiting for the outcome of the negotiating committee? Was he out as usual to impress his oga at the top at the Villa?

Thirdly, it is sad, shameful and disgraceful that today Governor Lalong has chosen the path of brutality against his own workers he is expected to protect and motivate. Instead of accepting his failure, he has come out with not only empty but shameful and misleading statement to cover his deceitfulness having failed in his responsibility. Also, as if they have all gone mad they came up with another show of deceitfulness and disastrous outcry by blaming the already suffering and frustrated civil servants to gain public sympathy, and yet these are the same workers that since October last year to date, have been on half salary. It is an indisputable fact that he still presides over local government allocations through his commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and first line deductions are made from the Local government funds every month. Local Government Chairmen are directed to contribute some amount to the state government after every joint account meeting.

We challenge him to deny that the state and the local government have no joint account. Why will the Governor be saying that he has no hand in Local Government workers problem and that they belong to a tier of government which is not under his control?
He even went further advising his workers to redirect their grievances to the right channel, which is the local government, but the question now is, has he granted the local governments autonomy ? Why has he up to this moment, failed to conduct elections in the remaining four local governments? Who is fooling who?

Finally he further bragged in his statement as if he is doing civil servants a favour by paying them their dues , that salaries, pension and gratuity are paid as and at when due . The fact still remains that Lalong only paid gratuity once to state pensioners.A paltry sum of 5% of a retirees gratuity was paid as if he doesn’t know the difference between salary, pension and gratuity and this was the only release through out his 6 years in office. Local government pensioners are owing(3) three months, some (4) months pension,while their gratuity is paid in bits and pieces as he deems fit. Local government workers are owning three months salaries now including half salary paid to them in October 2020.

What is more shameful is that the socalled “most labour friendly Governor” has approached the court against his own workers. What an irony! This government has truly ran out of focus and to add salt to injury, the head of service has abandoned his folks to impress his master. Now, who will defend the orphaned civil servants?

How can a government describe an outcry of the oppressed as political? Governor Lalong has truly lost his sense of reasoning.

Signed..

John Telpark Akans ksm, FICA, JP
State Publicity Secretary (PDP).

count | 153

Plateau PDP Frowns at Maltreatment of Peaceful Protesting LG Workers by the Plateau State Govt