9 Kogi Workers Starve to Death Due to Unpaid Salaries

 

 

Kogi state has recorded the death of 9 workers due to complications surrounding malnutrition. The dead workers are part of the 142 members of staff of the Kogi State Transport Company who were placed on a compulsory leave since 2011 without pay.

 

This was revealed in a statement by Mr Ndakwo Mohammed and Mr Anate Audu who were colleagues of the deceased workers. The statement was made on Sunday, 9th of August in Lokoja. The statement also revealed some of the other colleagues are suffering from terminal ailments.

 

According to them, workers who have spent 10 to 23 years in service are the ones affected most by the crisis as they have been suffering from intense poverty.

In their words:

“Many of us have been ejected out of our houses and our children chased out of schools due to our inability to pay rents and schools fees,” the statement said.

"It explained that all efforts to seek redress through the intervention of the state house of assembly and several letters to the state governor, Capt Idris Wada had proved abortive."

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) recalls that the Kogi State Transport Company had, through a circular dated June 30, 2011 and signed by its General Manager, Mr Augustine Tokula, directed all the 142 members of staff of the company to immediately proceeded on compulsory leave without pay.

The workers have appealed to the government to mediate in their predicament in order to curtail future crisis. Meanwhile, the government has kept mum on the issue which makes it more complicated for the agitating workers.