From Ovat Mike, Onitsha
Anambra State Chapter of the People Democratic Party (PDP), has called on governor Willie Obiano to stop further deduction from workers salaries for the recapitalization of Ndiolu Microfinance bank.
News Echo gathered that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had recently directed all Microfinance banks in the country to raise their capital base before 3Oth April.
The party described the forceful deduction of workers salaries, as wickedness in the midst of Social-economic challenges the citizens are currently going through in the State and the country at large.
The State Chairman of PDP, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, who addressed Journalists at the Party’s Secretariat, in Awka, on Friday, alleged that Anambra State under the incumbent governor, Obiano has practically been run underground.
According to him, the level of infrastructural decay in our dear state is unprecedented and the
All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) controlled government is unperturbed.
He said it is on record that Anambra State Civil Servants belonyg 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 recapitalization of Ndiolu Micro Finance
Bank, partially owned and operated by the state government.
“We have 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.
He said; 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.
“One begins to wonder why the workers whose salaries were deducted from March will continue to be exploited for three months when the CBN’s directive was meant to be implemented before 30th day of April.
“The development, the Chairman continued 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.
He advised that 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 Anambra State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shared the pain of our workers and condemned the APGA governments exploitative tendencies in it’s entirety.
“We demand that the deducted money from the workers salaries be returned immediately.
Nwobu, listed categories of Civil Servants, whoss salaries were forcefully deducting to include; Grade 1-2 N500, Grade levels 4-7 N1,200, Grade levels 7-N2,300, Grade levels 9-10 N2,800, Grade levels 12-13 N4,500, Grade levels 14-16 N5,000 and Grade level 17-N5,000.
In it swift response, the State government through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, told our correspondent that, the allegation of the opposition People Democratic Party PDP in the state is an example of profound influence driving by mischief makers.
The Commissioner said the Microfinance bank is run by the Civil Servants and not the government, and the workers decided to recapitalize by deducting certain amount of owners of bank salaries, just the way Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), deduct members salaries. So, what the PDP is saying doesn’t make sense, Adinuba said.