Anambra Govt, PDP Fight Over Deduction In Workers’ Salaries

The government of Anambra State, controlled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are fighting over deduction in the salaries of the workers in the state.

While the state Chairman of the party, Ndubuisi Nwobu, asked the governor, Willie Obiano to immediately stop the deduction, the government described the PDP claim as a total ignorance

The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba, in his reaction to what he called “PDP’s tantrum,” described is as an example of profound ignorance, driven by mischief.

“It’s an example of profound ignorance, driven by mischief. Ndiolu Microfinance Bank is owned by the workers and not the government.”

The PDP chairman, Nwobu had, in a statement today, May 14, said: “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 -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 recapitalisation of Ndiolu Micro Finance Bank.

“We at PDP are genuinely concerned about the welfare of Anambra State Civil Servants who are coerced to part with certain percentages of their meagre take home salaries.

“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 has 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.”

But the commissioner said that it the workers who voluntarily “decided to recapitalize by deducting certain amount of money from their salaries, just the way some labour unions deduct check-off fees from workers.”

Source: Punch