Imo lawmakers protest non-payment of 2 months salaries

Rochas Okorcha has been accused of handing dud cheque to pensioners in Imo State

Imo State lawmakers rose from a plenary, yesterday, and marched straight to the Office of the Accountant-General, AG, to protest the non-payment of their two months salaries and allowances.

The legislators were also irked that workers in some ministries and parastatals had reportedly not been paid their February and March 2015 salaries.

The lawmakers reacted angrily to the motion raised by the member representing Onuimo state constituency, Mr. Robertson Ekwebelem, and was seconded by the member for Ehime Mbano constituency, Mr. Kingsley Dimaku.

Following the motion, the House resolved to meet with the Accountant-General and the Commissioner for Finance, to ascertain why civil servants and lawmakers were being owed their legitimate earnings.

The obviously angry lawmakers, on arrival at the Accountant-General’s Office, were heard as they sought to know the reason their salaries and that of civil servants remained unpaid for two months.

That their trip to the Accountant-General’s Office was fruitless as the AG, Mrs. S. N. Udogu, was said to be attending to another official assignment somewhere.

It was also gathered that Mrs. Udogu was promptly alerted of the lawmakers’ protest march and quickly scampered into safety before their arrival.

A senior staff member in one of the state ministries said that “when the trip to the AG’s office failed, the legislators stormed the office of the Commissioner for Finance, before returning to the House to conclude the day’s sitting.”

Okorocha's administration is also owning pensioners several months of arears and gratuity. At a point he resorted to handing out dud cheque to the pensioners.