***** As APC Blasts Okowa
As Delta state Nigerian Union of Teachers strike enters day 13, chairman of Sapele local government council of the state, Mr. Ejaife Odebala may have suffered what could be said to be a severe historical backlash from Deltans following his statement concerning the ongoing teachers strike in the state.
Odebala had on Monday night posted on his facebook account thus:
“The teachers strike in Delta state is highly unreasonable and alll through Deltans must criticize it as such. During previous administrations in Delta, there was no recession. Now there is not enough funds coming in to meet the basic salary responsibilities of the state. It is not caused by Okowa. When the money is available, they will be paid. The teachers union are highly unreasonable in their strike action and all true Deltans must criticize it. Local government allocation has beeen consistently used to pay salary of primary school teachers and not paying local government workers.
“Local government workers are owed over 10 months salary and they are dying everyday. The joint allocation account committee decided now that fund should be used for now on pro rata basis to pay primary school teachers and local government worker as the money can cover. And when there is improve funding, the balance will be repaid back. That both local government and primary school teachers should receive 81% of thier salary for now. The teachers said no. That they must have 100%. And the local government workers should have zero.
“This position should not be allowed to continue as the primary school teachers and the local government workers go to the same market and send their children to the same schools. The money is not got by Okowa and he refused to bring it out. So the teachers are unreasonable and not just in thier strike action and everybody should call condemn it as such please”
Barely few minutes his statement was posted, Deltans began to react aggressively to his statement, describing him as a fool and wicked soul that lacks human heart.
Reacting to the statement, one Atuenya Robert, described Odebala as an unreasonable and myopic fellow.
“My chairman sir your comment is highly unreasonable and it shows how myopic you are. may I ask you a vital question sir, why can’t the politicians cut down on their wages? The governor, house members, commissioners, SSAs,bSAs go home with 50% or 70% of their salaries if they are good Nigerians. They should lead by example.
“My chairman sir, may I ask you again ,what is the role of numerous special assistances’ and senior special assistances.? My chairman sir coming out to say teachers are self-centered is demonic and shows how insensitive you politicians are you, remember one day you guys will face the throne of heaven and account for all your actions. I rest my case.”
On his part, Mr. John Otega Smart reacted thus:
“What is the essence of working without pay. A teacher spending huge sums daily to get to her work place and back from same with over 800 naira daily and is expected to feed in this recession when the price of goods have gone record high! And yet the governor has funds to welcome Ibori and construct roads (Did we not hear that time that a girl stole bailout funds?). By this comment you must be very wicked. Put yourself in their shoes.
“It is the immutable law of God Almighty, a workman deserves his wages. Your dad is a most respected and good lawyer. I see him in Court most times, it is with his hard work and earnings that he could bring u up as a fine learned gentleman, could one force him to go to court if his client didn’t pay and condemn him if he chooses not to go because his client didn’t pay his fees inclusive of the appearance fees?
I was trained by a Teacher, with her salary. If previous governments didn’t respect her service a enough and pay for same, I won’t be on facebook today likewise you. I use to respect you until now that I saw this statement. Its very appalling. We mustn’t play politics with everything.”
Also reacting, one Henry Ehis Arlington said, “There’s no excuse whatsoever for teachers to be owed salary. Instead of teachers to be owe, all Chairmen, Commissioners, House of Assembly members should be the ones to be owed. It’s a big shame how teacher are always treated and put in the back role and we expect our educational system to blossom.
We should stop deceiving ourselves pls.
There’s no money, yet you see Politicians spending money frivolously with reckless abandon.”
Reacting in the same vein, one Irijitoma Okubor-Ogodo has this to say “Chairman. I respect you a lot even if we are not close friends. By your justification of the predicament of the teachers and the local government workers is nothing to write home about. You know fully well the cause of lack of funds to run the affairs of the state effectively. Don’t shy away from the fact and trying to sugar coat the situation.
“The fraudulent attitude of the Delta state politicians are the cause of the catastrophic situation in the state. The attitude of the politicians is to enriched themselves and dam any consequences. You know that Mr. Chairman, it is visible to the blind. It is on this vein am asking you to reframe your statement and apologize to the unpaid workers of delta state who owned responsibility to their families just like you and other politicians in the state.”
An impeccable source who confided in HardReporters disclosed that the council chairman sometime last year was fingered in a bribery scandal of N500, 000, allegedly extorted from primary school teachers in the locality. “Odebala is a disgrace and will continue to be a disgrace. This was a man that set out to extort teachers last year.”
Narrating what transpired, the source told our correspondent that the supervisory councillor for finance and education, in the council, whose name was given as Mr. Eric Ojuromu, (aka) Elume and a special adviser to the council chairman, named Mr. Joseph Okpereogho working under the instructions of Odebala had set up a kangaroo screening exercise for primary school teachers in the area through which teachers were threatened with sack or settle.
According to the source, the councillor and the chairman’s aide during the fake screening exercise informed some of the primary school teachers with genuine certificates who are being owed several months’ salary that they have fake certificates and therefore must pay certain amounts of money to cover for them without exposing them through the verification.
“Luck however ran against the councillor and his partner in crime, when a teacher from Okotie-Eboh primary school, Sapele, who was confident of her certificates and suspected a foul play, summoned courage and reported the issue to the police after she had appeared before the kangaroo screening panel and was told she possessed fake certificate and asked to pay N500,000 to cover her up. After her complaints, the police swung into action and the teacher was told to play along with the fraudsters by taking to them the money demanded of her.” our source said.
Other Deltans who reacted condemned in strong term the choice of words of the council chairman, saying Odebala has always remained an unreliable, unreasonable and failed politicians who reason through his anus.
Meanwhile the All Progressives Congress, (APC), has described Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s approach to the teachers plights as anti-teachers adding that Okowa is killing the education sector in the state.
In a press statement signed by acting State Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Leonard Obibi and obtained by HardReporters, the party described the primary school as the bedrock of development in every society but now passing through a severe intimidation and threat under Okowa’s government.
The party made it clear that the continuous deductions of teachers salaries are unwarranted, wicked and mostly unjustifiable; saying that Okowa set up a screening exercise that was ordinarily supposed to help in making the teachers more effective, but in essence, it has become a ploy to undermine the teachers.
According to APC, “It is obvious that Okowa either wants teachers to remain in abject poverty or does not really care about how pupils in public schools will secure a strong stepping-stone to a brighter future. Since assumption of duty as Governor, Okowa has been seriously pre-occupied with a systemic exercise that seems to have one singular objective; which is to reduce teachers’ salaries which has been used to pave the way for the implementation of obnoxious deductions from teachers’ meager salaries.”
