•Residents prepare for worse days ahead
Uneasy calm in Ebonyi State under the administration of Governor David Umahi has heightened since the election petitions tribunal in Abakaliki reserved ruling indefinitely two weeks ago.
People accuse the government of implementing policies and programmes that have no bearing on their hardship beside a sudden rise in insecurity.
While many pray for divine intervention, the acolytes and aides of Umahi are canvassing for support in advance, should the tribunal nullify his election.
Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Edwin Nkwegu, is asking the tribunal to nullify the election held on April 11 or declare him winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes.
Groundswell of discontent
The government has sacked 83 disabled civil servants four months after their employment in the civil service, claiming their appointment was lopsided. The workers said they have taken their case to God for intervention.
They had remained idle from June 4 to October 6 when the government paid them N5,000 with a promise to review their disengagement when the economy of the state becomes buoyant.
The salaries and allowances of civil servants have been slashed below 50 per cent from what they were paid before Umahi took over.
June salary was paid on August 30 and he has warned that state resources can no longer foot the bill. Civil servants are also praying for God to intervene.
A workers’ strike allegedly meant to destabilise the last days of the tenure of former Governor Martin Elechi was allegedly sponsored by the Divine Mandate Organisation, the campaign outfit of Umahi.
Umahi had promised workers if they supported his election he would increase their salary by 100 per cent, paid before the 23rd of every month.
That industrial action ended with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) supported with a circular signed by the representatives of the government and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) for 50 per cent rise in salary from February 2015.
Elechi surprised his detractors as he paid as bonus to all civil servants, including those who were earlier paid, the September 2011 salary withheld as a punitive measure against workers who embarked on strike then.
He also paid as arrears, the balance of the difference of the increment for February.
But Umahi’s administration reverted to the old salary. In turn, Labour embarked on a seven-day warning strike.
On September 2, the government set up a Special Salary Mediation Committee chaired by former Governor Sam Egwu, now a Senator representing Ebonyi North.
The committee turned in a report which Labour denounced, claiming not to know when it was written.
The state NLC maintained that the government had earlier approved a salary structure which it had paid for four months.
Gale of redeployments
The impasse led to the fragmentation of Labour, with junior workers negotiating separately with the government against the wishes of the parent body.
State NLC Chairman, Ikechukwu Nwafor, a health worker at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, was transferred to Calabar, Cross River State.
State NLC Secretary, Chukwuma Onwe, a Presenter and Controller of News on Grade Level 14 at Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) was redeployed to the Building Materials Company in Ezzamgbo on the outskirts of Abakaliki.
Onwe was later suspended indefinitely because he was late to work for 10 minutes.
Bene Mbaba, Vice Chairman of the State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), a Deputy Director of News at EBC, was redeployed to Government Printing Press as a Public Relations Officer.
The clampdown on the leadership of the NLC was coupled with the dissolution of the management of the EBC, with six workers of the corporation who are NLC officials redeployed.
All presenters suspected of having sympathy with NLC officials were removed from news presentation.
Two Permanent Secretaries, Ifenacho Umoke of the Ministry of Local Government, and Felix Mkpuma, were placed on indefinite suspension.
An engineer with the state Ministry of Power, Emeka Odala, was suspended for one month over what his supporters considered trumped up charges.
While public outcry over the suspension of 16 workers of Ishielu Council was yet to douse, another 167 were declared ghost workers in Ohaozara Council even though they had been interviewed but were yet to be made permanent staff.
Traders’ outcry
Demolition of petty traders’ shops and destruction of their wares in Gunning Road Meat Market in the suburbs of Abakaliki without prior notice has thrown many into confusion.
Several protests and demonstrations on the streets of Abakaliki have been held by the petty traders, with placards condemning the government agencies which carried out the actions.
The ineptitude of government agencies in their quest to give Abakaliki a face lift and protests by petty traders led to a directive from Umahi stopping further demolitions until an alternative market place is found.
Employment and disengagement
In the face of all these challenges, the government in its thrust for more political structure at the grassroots, amended the law establishing the 64 Development Centres.
The amendment increased the number of management committee members for each Development Centre from four to eight and fixed their salary at N60,000 each.
This makes it 64 coordinators plus eight management committee members times 64, and that means 576 people.
To further swell its grassroots’ support, the government appointed 13 caretaker chairmen, 13 vice chairmen, 13 secretaries, and 13 treasurers for the 13 councils.
This is besides the appointment of 287 liaison officers in each electoral ward.
The appointees were asked to pay between N50,000 and N100,000 as tax clearance as a pre-requisite for their screening and final clearance by lawmakers.
They also allegedly contributed undisclosed sums to lobby legislators to ease their screening.
Sensing the weight of the emolument of these appointees on the lean resources of the state, Umahi reportedly ordered the suspension of the swearing-in ceremony of the 287 liaison officers and 576 Development Centre Management Committee members.
Those waiting to be sworn-in have reportedly expressed regret over the money they were made to borrow to pay for tax clearance.
None of them has been paid since their appointments two months ago.
The last sitting of the tribunal on Saturday, October 3 witnessed a mammoth crowd of Umahi’s appointees at the state judiciary premises, venue of the sitting.
Many of them arrived Abakaliki a day before the sitting.
Some who had told TheNiche that the tribunal chairman might be redeployed from Ebonyi because of her “uncompromising” attitude, were surprised when she reserved ruling and adjourned hearing indefinitely.