PUNCH NEWS

The All Progressives Congress in Delta State has condemned what it termed the anti-people leadership style of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, especially the reduction of workers’ salaries.

The state government had in July slashed the salaries of workers on Grade Levels 7 to 17 for the period of six months as a result of dwindling finances occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party’s position was contained in a statement on Tuesday by its state Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Imonina.

He noted that the welfare and well-being of the citizens remained the primary goal of every responsible government as clearly stipulated in Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The statement read in part, “It is very unfortunate that despite the hue and cry of civil servants and members of the public, the Delta State Government has gone ahead to wickedly reduce the salaries of civil servants in the state to the previous minimum wage of N18,500.

“Without any air of equivocation, we state that the said reduction is uncalled for! It is not only unlawful, but morally wrong and unjustifiable. It is illegal because the new minimum wage of N30,000 is a product of a valid and subsisting Act of the National Assembly and binding on the Delta State Government; the same having been adopted by the state as the template for the payment of civil servants.

“Aside the above, there is a subsisting revised 2020 budget of the state validly passed by the state House of Assembly immediately the COVID-19 restriction was relaxed in the state. In the said budget, the areas that have to do with capital projects were reduced.