While the industrial action embarked upon by Organized Labour in Cross River State continues with no immediate plans to call off the action, Labour in the state is insisting that the Ben Ayade administration blew away N38.85 billion, over a three year period, 2015 to 2017.
“We wish to remind Cross Riverians that the suffering of workers/retirees of Cross River State is majorly caused by this Ayade administration”, Labour, began in her document.
According to Labour, the funds, representing Bail Out Funds and Paris Club refunds given to the state by the Federal Government, were not appropriately applied to pay pensions and gratuities as directed by the FG.
The first tranche of N7.8 billion, preceded the sum of N11.5 billion of the Bail Out Funds, while the Paris Club Refunds also came in two tranches of N12.15 billion and N6.75 billion, according to Labour.
Specifically, Labour is insisting that, “the Paris Club Refunds were monies over deducted from governments before the Ayade led administration, so we can say previous governments saved these monies for the present government” as contained in a widely circulated document captioned “Bulletin 15”, dated, November 3, 2021.
Several Labour sources who insisted on anonymity are maintaining that government in the state has shown no financial sincerity in dealing with workers in her employ and retirees, especially.
Investigations by www.calitown.com, over the course of time show that because of government’s attitude to paying pensions and gratuities, some unscrupulous persons in the state are exploiting anxious retirees, extorting huge sums of money from them under the guise of helping to facilitate payment of pensions and gratuities. In several instances, some of these retirees are coerced into entering into written agreements to pay specified sums before their names are payrolled. We hear it is a huge extortion scheme, drawing even the attention of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, which showed the huge corruption in the payroll system, brought on by government’s posture.
We were yet to get government’s replies to inquiries on this matter before press time.