Okowa under fire for alleged illegal deductions of workers salaries

*Gov Ifeanyi Okowa

By James Nwonodi, (Asaba)

A group going by the aegis of Deltans Lives Matter DLM has criticised  Delta State Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and his government over allegations of illegal deductions of workers salaries amid the COVID 19 pandemic. 

In a release signed by Christian Moses Abeh, Global Coordinator, Hon. Gabriel Mamuzo, Deputy Global Coordinator and Citizen Miracle Ifeanyi Ogor, Coordinator, DLM Europe, the group wrote "In as much as we have appreciated the Governor for reverting to the new minimum wage, it is very important we know what he used these monies deducted from workers salaries for.

Continuing, the release said " it is on record that the Covid-19 pandemic which the Governor used as excuse for salary reduction also affected other states in the South-South and South-East region of the Country, but Delta state was the first state to slash 25% of workers salaries. If states like Edo, Cross River, Adamawa and Anambra did not tamper with their workers salaries why Delta state that receives the highest monthly allocation do so? 

" We challenge Governor Okowa to publish the list of all the civil servants in the state with their LGAs of origin, ranks, salaries and imprests if he is sure he is telling us the truth. Mere telling us that our workforce is three times that of Edo and other states is not enough to believe that there are no underhand deals in the state wage bills.

They also wondered that if truly the global pandemic known as Covid-19 was the reason why the Governor slashed innocent workers salaries, why did he make almost one hundred appointments that will cost the State huge amount of money within that same period?