Bayelsa Workers Turn to Beggers to Feed over Unpaid Salaries

Some workers in public and civil service in Bayelsa have turned to begging to survive the hard economic realities in the state. It was observed that workers, in a bid to cope with the harsh economic condition foisted by unpaid salaries, had devised different means to beg in order to feed their families.

Many civil and public servants being owed about 5 months’ salaries by the Governor Seriake Dickson-led administration could no longer meet their personal and family obligations.

They are unable to pay their bills, children’s school fees and service their accommodation expenses.

Due to their inability to pay transportation fares, most of them could no longer go to their work places and church activities while persons who managed to go end up begging for fares to go back home.

Some of them said they were dying of hunger, adding that they no longer went to work because of the lack of money for transport and feeding.

They recalled that Dickson had promised to promptly pay salaries of workers, but wondered why the governor, who was no longer executing projects, could not pay workers.

One of the workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said he stopped going to work because the government had not paid him since November 2015.

The source, who is a manager in the government owned Izon Ibe Community Bank, confessed, “I work in the state-owned micro-finance bank, but since November, I have not been paid. I can’t go to work because I need to look for something to do to feed my family. It has been very tough. Surviving in Bayelsa State has become so difficult.

“I wonder why an oil-producing state like Bayelsa cannot pay salaries. We learnt that states like Ebonyi and Taraba, with one of the least allocations, still pay salaries. But here, we are working in an oil-producing state without salaries.”

Also, two ladies working for the state government were sighted on Imgbi Road, on Wednesday, begging passers-by for N100 to go home after attending a morning church programme in the area.

Many turned them down, so they were happy when a Good Samaritan gave the duo N500 to go home.

A food vendor, who identified herself simply as Emilia, said the hardship had affected her so much that most of her customers (civil servants) no longer patronised her.

She said, “Before, my small shop used to bubble with patronage. I would finish selling before 9am every day. But everything has changed. I have reduced the quantity I cook, yet I can’t finish selling my food even up to 12am. I carry them home. I am even considering closing my shop.”

However, most residents have blamed the development on the leadership style of Dickson, saying he stifled the economy on assuming office as the governor for the second term.

An angry resident, identified as Emmanuel, wondered why the government was claiming that the state is poor when Dickson said he opened a dedicated account “where he saved for the rainy day.”

“The rain is now falling. People expected the governor to start using the savings of the state in paying salaries and rejuvenating the economy. Bayelsa is not supposed to be suffering. It is supposed to be a model state.”

Commenting on the situation, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Bayelsa State, Mr. Ndiomu George-Diepre, said the state NLC is disenchanted with the sad development, poverty in the land.