Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, sees politics even in garbage collection and has taken steps to rid Port Harcourt and its environs of refuse dumps which began to pile up a few days to his inauguration on May 29.
Some days to the inauguration, many workers staged demonstrations to protest the non-payment of salary or pension arrears.
They included civil servants, pensioners, and sanitation service providers. As a result, refuse has been heaped on the streets and roads in the Garden City.
Sanitation service providers are owed four months’ charges, it was learnt, and their protest was intended to attract Wike’s attention to the bad image refuse heaps can cause his new administration.
Wike got the message.
”Since government is a continuum, this administration will take immediate steps to start processing payment for the service providers and other workers,” he assured.
He said the negative environmental impact of huge refuse sites requires finding lasting solutions.
He expressed regret that the service providers withdrew their services a few days to his inauguration, suggesting that there were reasons apart from non-payment.
“I cannot in my clear conscience allow you to be owed. I assure you that we will start the process for the payment of the funds you are owed. However, we cannot pay all at once.
“You were owed for four months by the previous administration and you waited for the point when we were to be inaugurated to withdraw your services. It gives one the feeling that the withdrawal was beyond the issue of payment.
“Now that we have met, get down to work and clean up Port Harcourt.”
He said he would monitor the streets of Port Harcourt to ensure compliance.
Spokesman for the service providers, George Okeya, said they would return to work immediately, based on Wike’s promise of payment.
