An Elder Statesman, Chief John Enyogasi popularly called OK2000 has wept for Imo State Workers over unpaid salary arrears, pensions and deprivation of citizens from the common patrimony.
Chief Enyogasi who told newsmen that he shaded tears when he visited the Ministry of Justice at Imo State Secretariat Complex, New Owerri on Thursday, 25th February, 2021, condemned the State Government for subjecting its workers into abject poverty and penury.
Chief Enyogasi, a notable philanthropist and Contractor who through his firm won and built so many State owned infrastructural projects including House of Assembly Complex, State Secretariat buildings, Umuguma General Hospital and many others, opined that, the current new Imo State occasioned with lackadaisical and selfish men as leaders are no longer what the people envisaged mostly the elders who used their personal resources to fight and lobby for the creations of the State in the first place as well as getting Owerri as its capital city.
According to him, his unscheduled visit to the Secretariat Complex opted him an opportunity to observe with dismay the severe hunger confronting Imo civil servants who have been crying woeful over unpaid, underpaid and staggered payment of their salaries.
In his words, ” I weep for the workers today,they are suffering and poverty has taken over the State. I never knew that the conditions of workers are so bad and very pity to the extent of people losing hope of their lives on daily basis. I asked, what is wrong? Does it mean that the allocation are no longer coming to the state or what? This scenario has also made our children to lose hope of education because after much said and done no work even when you get work no payment. Pensioners are also dying in their numbers and some are often coming to my office for help. In our time when the State was newly created,we believed in the State at least one man one plot of land, and not greedy acquisition”.
The Opara Okigwe as he is fondly called by his peers said that the current condition of Imo State is not to the best interest and dreams of the founding fathers.
He called on the government to note that the plight and welfare of the citizens are more sacrosanct than personal interest.
