NIGERIAN GOVERNORS AND THE ERA OF UNPAID SALARIES.Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

  The likes of of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe who were founding fathers and the national heroes of this nation will all be weeping in their graves when they hear how things are being done in the land they sacrificed everything to set free. How Nigeria leaders just do things as they want not minding the effect on ordinary Nigerians. We have endured several harsh policies and conditions imposed on us by the government, yet they feel it's not enough. Today, the civil servants are their targets.
    In Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, we heard they have been paying their workers 40% of their salary for so long now (when it is paid at all) that the unpaid 60% for each worker now brings the total unpaid months to 13. One year and one month of unpaid salaries!
     In Benue State, the civil servants are being owed almost 12 months' salaries and the primary school teachers had to go on strike in order to make government pay their unpaid 14 months salaries.
     If this trend continues, we will start seeing deadbodies of government workers who died of hunger. It might get to that and there are those who will not even wait for such to happen before they end the shame.
   Last month, right there at house number 13, Cele Close in Agbowo area of Ibadan, Oyo State two siblings died of hunger and another senior civil servant in the Obokun LG Area of Osun State, Mr Ojo Owolabi attempted to end his life by drinking large quantity of insecticide because of the failure of the State government to pay his salaryies for the past six months.
Just last Sunday, the State pastor of The Living Faith Church in Osogbo, Olumuyiwa Emmanuel, had to make passionate appeal to members of the church to start bringing foodstuffs and money to assist members who are civil servants that have not been paid for seven months.
    Osun State case is more worrisome. Aregbesola, the Governor of the State has severally been accused of wasteful spending on areas that has got nothing to do with the State. He is paying millions for the parking space of his helicopter but Osun workers are going to bed hungry everyday. His son, Kabiru Aregbesola is still collecting his office running cost as "First Son" of Osun State.
Sometimes I wonder what kind of milk did these adults drink from their mothers' breasts that they behave and act like satan? They are gradually pushing the masses to the wall and I can bet that before long, this uprising, as Fela says, will bring out nothing but the beast in all of us!