By Isaac Ojo
The Peoples Democratic Party PDP has frowned at the forceful deduction of workers salaries in Anambra State.
The chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu flanked by Hon. Christian oKeke, Nnamdi Nwangwu and other party executives while addressing a press conference at the party secretariat in Udoka, Awka expressed shock that the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA controlled government can be so insensitive to the plights of civil servants in the state.
“Anambra State under the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano has practically been run underground. The level of infrastructural decay in our dear state is unprecedented and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) controlled government is unperturbed.
“It is on record that Anambra State Civil Servants belong to the class of least paid workers in Nigeria. States across the country that are not as endowed as Anambra State have since upgraded the salaries and entitlement of their workers in line with the nation’s minimum wage policy.
“It has come to our notice that deductions are being forcefully made from the workers’ meagre salaries for the capitalization of Ndiolu Micro Finance Bank.
“We had it on good authority that the Head of Service (HOS) in a memo to the Accountant General (AG) and Secretary JAAC on March 8, 2021 instructed that certain percentages of the workers salaries be deducted as their contributions to the stabilization of the troubled bank.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was said to have directed all Microfinance banks in the country to raise their capital base before 30th April.” Chief Nwobu noted.
He said PDP is genuinely concerned about the welfare of Anambra State Civil Servants who are coerced to part with certain percentages of their meagre take home salaries.
“One begins to wonder why the workers whose salaries were deducted since March will continue to be exploited for three months when the CBN’s directive was meant to implemented before 30th April.
“The development has raised more questions than answers and of course has demonstrated the insensitivity of the APGA controlled government to the plights of Anambra workers whose real income have suffered depreciation because of the galloping inflation in the nation.
“What a responsible and responsive government should be doing by now is to think of what to do to alleviate the suffering of the workers and not making things harder for them through illegal deductions from their salaries.” The PDP boss pointed out.
He expressed the sympathy of PDP to civil servants in Anambra State and condemn the APGA’s government exploitative tendencies in it’s entirety.
PDP demanded that the deducted money from the workers’salaries be returned with immediate alacrity.
“As the Anambra State governorship election draws closer, we thank the civil servants in the state for their support for PDP.
“We assure Ndi Anambra in general and Civil Servants in particular of better deal under a PDP controlled administration.” He concluded.