BY DAUD OLATUUNJI
ABEOKUTA — Former po-litical appointees under former Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State, Monday, protested alleged refusal of the incumbent government in the state to pay their severance allowances running into N2.3 billion.
The protesters numbering about 200 stormed the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, appealing to the current government to show mercy on them.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Ogun State is the only state yet to pay’; ‘Our members are dying’; ‘It is your responsibility, act fast, give us our entitlements’; ‘Enough of your pranks, please pay up now’.
Members, Conference of Local Government Ex-Political Office Holders in Ogun, protesting alleged non-payment of their severance allowances and packages in Abeokuta. PHOTO: NAN.
Addressing the press on behalf of the ex-political appointees, the leader of the protesters, Farouk Akintunde, said the affected people were about 600 and were past chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries to the local governments, supervisors, special advisers, consultants and legislators, who served between 2007 and 2010 under Daniel’s administration.
Akintunde lamented that the development had led to the death of about 12 of them because of their inability to access fund.
However, the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in its reaction through a letter signed by G. O Olubiyi for Permanent Secretary urged all the local governments chairmen to pay all outstanding benefits of former officials.
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