Kaduna govt workers protest against verification

WORKERS employed by the Kaduna State government have cautioned against alleged plans to brand them as ghosts workers in the ongoing verification exercise ordered by the state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

The workers who were from various ministries, departments and agencies protested at the secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kaduna, accusing organisers of the ongoing verification exercise of refusing to pay their salaries after being cleared.

The leader of the aggrieved workers, Mrs. Celina Monday, while speaking to journalists confirmed the non-payment of their salaries.

“We have been cleared two months ago, but we have not been given our cheques. They keep asking us to come everyday and some of us come from Zaria, Kafanchan and other parts of the state,” she lamented.

According to her, “we know that his Excellency, Malam El-Rufai has released our salaries because we have already gotten our pay slips, but the bank has withheld payment in an attempt to brand us as ghost workers.”

She explained that, “the fears expressed by some workers now is that after waiting for their cheques for two months, the exercise is coming to a close on Wednesday and they don’t know what their fate may be after the exercise”, adding, “we have approached the manager of the bank, but most times he doesn’t even give us attention.

“It was only yesterday he met us and asked us to write our names. After writing the names he said we should come back today (Wednesday) that he was going to see us by 7.am but unfortunately as soon as he left his colleagues told us to stay at home until when the bank is ready to call us via phone, meanwhile the exercise ends today.”

“We are begging the governor to intervene because we are genuine workers of the state. We have genuine documents and we are aware that the governor is an educated man, he understands what we’re going through,” she appealed.