Several months of unpaid salaries in some states of the federation have turned tragic, as workers increasingly live in pathetic and inhuman conditions which ultimately lead them to what a source described as their early graves.

Reports from some of the affected states indicated that the affected workers are presently unable to cater for their family needs, including feeding and children’s education, among others.

From Delta to Nasarawa, Kogi and Enugu, among others, it is all tales of melancholy as the civil servants narrated their ordeals in the face of long period of unpaid wages.

A number of workers, according to our investigation, died because of high blood pressure or inability to pay for treatment of common ailments.

For instance, in Ukwani Local Government Area of Delta State, two council staff reportedly collapsed and died while on duty, over what their colleagues described as “tension from eleven months’ unpaid salaries. Their story is common in the state, and many others.”

Also in Nasarawa State, the trend remains same, though on a higher magnitude, as the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), disclosed that at least, six of its members have died in circumstances related to the hard times faced over nonpayment of their salary.

It is similar tale in Kogi where among others, an official of the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN) died from an “untreated hypertension.”

Death, stroke, hit council workers in Delta

It’s a tale of woes in Delta State where local government workers across the 25 councils in state, have continued to suffer early death, stroke and high blood pressure, following non-payment of their salaries. While two council staff in Ukwani local government of the state died under pathetic situation, several others have been reportedly ejected from their rented apartments and could no longer cater for their families while some are bedridden in hospitals without any hope in sight.

A council worker residing in Asaba who preferred to remain anonymous, lamented that “the situation is very critical as I am finding it very difficult to meet up my financial

obligations to my family and other dependants. I even want to consider myself lucky that at least one is still alive, what does one say of some others who have been sent to their early graves.”

“Yes, death is a necessary end, but one must not be made to die miserably as we are presently experiencing over unpaid salaries. We are starving. We have not been paid for eleven months. We received salary last year, 2015. NULGE is not helping matters. They are not taking up our cause with the authorities. We are confused and don’t know who to run to.”

“Our pains at the moment have to do with our salaries. We cannot be seen as happy workers who come to work without salaries for over eleven months now. We are no longer going to work. The councils have been closed down completely,” he further lamented.

Speaking to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, a council chairman, also lamented that councils, apart from owing workers’ salaries for the past eleven months, are finding it difficult running the secretariats as power supply has been cut off owing to non-payment of

electricity bills, adding that the activities in the councils have since been crippled.

But Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who recently spoke on the matter, said, “teachers wage bill monthly at the local government level is about a little over N1.8 billion monthly. That is what they pay to primary school teachers and that is a huge problem.”

6 teachers die in Nasarawa

The chairman of Nasarawa State chapter of the NUT, Comrade Francis Tete, told our reporter that more than six persons have died. “So far, more than six persons have reportedly died because of this problem. Though I have not received information from various branches

yet, but the one I know so far are more than six that died in the course of this strike. I have, however, asked my branches to give me the full report,” he said.

Tete, therefore, urged the state government to have a rethink on the fate of the poor children in public schools in the overall interest of the state.

Speaking to our correspondent, one of the affected teachers in the state, Mr. Matthew Namo, who lamented his experiences during the strike, said he can no longer feed his family or pay the school fees of his three children.

He, therefore, called for dialogue between government and the union in order to bring the hardship to an end.

Also speaking, the state’s NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Adeka, said workers are hard hit by the salary logjam because “they depend solely on salary, and once the salary cannot be paid, they have to face difficulties in servicing their homes and that one is obvious.”

Union leader slumps, dies in Kogi

In Kogi State, the unpaid salaries situation has put school teachers on the edge, the state chairman, Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN), Comrade Bello Ohino David, has said.

He said the BESAN Chairman of the Omala Local Government chapter, Mr. Mathius Sanni, suddenly developed hypertension and was immediately referred to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja. The unionist, David regretted, could not access the health care services because he had no money, and later died.

He added that the union has lost count of their members that slumped and died because of their family responsibilities which they cannot attend to, owing to the unpaid wages.

David also cited an incident in Adavi Local Government Area of the state late last year, where a teacher reportedly went to market to steal a bag of Semovita.

But a local government staff, who identified herself as Hajiya Mairo Audu Musa from Lokoja local government, said some of her colleagues had received their arrears of four months as at last week, even though she still awaits hers.

“Sometimes I have to trek to the office and we cannot even eat due to lack of money. I am highly indebted to pharmacists and food stuff retailers to keep life going,” she said.

Enugu LG councils shut

And in Enugu, workers of the 17 local government areas of the state are not finding it easy either over the unpaid salaries, running to seven months.

A civil servant, Mr. Ogechukwu Arum, lamented that he could no longer take care of his family, and that going to work has become difficult because of the difficulty in paying transport fares.

“Worse still, the state government appears unperturbed. I don’t know whether LGA workers are still part of this state, the governor is not saying anything. May be they want to scrap the local government system. Otherwise, I don’t see any reason while workers should be owed wages for months and nobody is talking,” he lamented.

Also, another council staff in Enugu-North local government who simply identified himself

as Mr. Chinwuba, said his family “is suffering terribly because we cannot make ends’ meet. More so, my wife and I, are in the public sector, and the salaries are not coming. So, we are finding it extremely difficult to survive.

“Our children are out of school as we are talking; they are not taking their exams because we could not pay their fees. It is a terrible situation. In fact, I am beginning to think of going back to village since I cannot pay my rent. The only option available is to go back to the village and start farming, at least to have something to eat at the end of the day.”

Speaking to our correspondent, the state chairman of NLC, Comrade Virginus Nwobodo, confirmed that the state workers, especially those of local governments and some parastatals, are being owed seven months of wages and over three years of half salary respectively, adding that “they are suffering terribly.”

Niger workers opt for strike

Meanwhile, the Niger State chapter of the NLC has issued a circular mobilising workers to embark on strike on July 11, 2016 if the state government do not rescind its decision of paying workers half salaries from the month of June.

The circular, signed by its state Chairman, Comrade Yahaya Idris Ndako, it was learnt, also directed affiliate unions of the Congress to hold respective congresses to rectify the industrial action against the government.

The Congress, according to the circular, expressed grave concern over the ‘unilateral’ decision of government to cut salaries of workers by over 50% in the face of prevailing hardship, particularly at this period of Sallah celebration.

The NLC boss said labour has vehemently rejected the arbitrary salary cut, vowing not to accept anything other than full salaries.

Ndako further said labour was taken unaware when workers began to receive alerts of half salary payments from banks last Thursday, adding that many workers were left with no money after bank loan deductions.

He said some of his workers have been having heart attack following the cut in salaries, adding that “we are shocked by the harsh decision of the government”.

“I have a report of a worker that fainted when he received salary alert of N45,000 instead of N90,000, and when his bank deducted loans he was left with N250,” he said.

Bleak Sallah in Osun

As the festival of Eid-el-fitr draws nearer, workers in Osun state have continued to lament their fate as there is no indication that their salary would come ahead of the festival.

The state government is owing the workers from level 08 and above 11months salary, while the junior ones are being owed three months.

Since July 2015, senior workers from Grade Level 08 have been receiving half salary due to the reduction in the monthly allocation as occasioned by the downfall in the price of oil.

Many workers, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented and expressed worry over how they would meet family responsibilities during the celebration.

A teacher who pleaded anonymity said it has been difficult to go to school due to unavailability of transport fare.

He explained that the three months salary being owed by the government is like sentencing him and his family to hunger.

•Sourced from Blueprint. Photo shows NLC President Ayuba Wabba.