Councils extort money from workers
…….sells free score sheets at N5, 000 each
Local government workers in the 18 local government areas of Cross River state are alleged to be extorting money from workers under the guise of buying score sheets for promotion interviews.
Investigations conducted by our correspondent revealed that each form costs between N3, 500 and N5, 000, depending on the local government council.
The workers, our findings revealed, need to complete the form and appear with it during promotion interview.
Given the importance of the form as regarding promotions, workers, particularly in the heath sector, reportedly borrowed money to buy the form as they have not been paid for some months now.
It was gathered that most of the health staff survived from borrowing to pay their children’s school fees, transport to health centres, feeding and meeting other needs. Sadly, most of the staff, we gathered, could not secure money to pay for the form hence they are likely to miss the promotion exercise.
Our investigations revealed that in Calabar Municipal Council, health workers were asked to pay N3, 500 each for the form, and in Calabar south, each form costs N4, 000, in Akpabuyo the form was sold to health workers at N4, 500 and other local government councils sold their forms at their discretion or as deemed fit by the head of council.
The form, Mrs. Iquo Ekpo Bassey revealed, supposed to be free and in four copies but the workers were given two and asked to photocopy two other copies increasing more expenses.
“Imagine, after paying N4, 500 for two sheet of papers, these people still have the guts to ask us to photocopy another two copies, they have no conscience” she stated.
On whether the money paid was receipted, Miss Matilda Effiom said: “We pay the money to a staff designated to collect the money and a number will be issued to you. You take this number to another room where the two sheet of form will be issued. No receipt whatsoever. This is corruption the President is fighting.”
Besides extorting money from workers, the Community Health Practitioner’s Association, cross river chapter also sold licence form to health workers at exorbitance fees ranging from N5, 000 to N10, 000 each with late purchase of the licence attracting N2, 500 or more. “We have nobody to speak on our behalf because our association was not helping us” Pastor Okon Ekong confided.
“We can only call on the anti-corruption agencies of the federal government to look into most of the allegations about extortion as it was getting out of hand. When government covered the loopholes for extortion, these people opened another one just to further pauperize the less privileged in the society,” Pastor Ekong lamented.
When our correspondent visited various local government councils, promotion interviews were in progress and the council officials we spoke to gave the excuse that they cannot attend to our correspondent since they are not elected council officials but civil servants.
“We are ordered to collect the money, what it was meant for, we do not know. But we give account to head of council,” a staff who pleaded for anonymity said.
She further said: “As you see, this money collected is not receipted, hence we, in fact do not know what it would be use for but we pray it should be use for the benefit of the workers. Our finding however revealed that the money was going to be use for entertainment of those who will conduct the promotion interview but it was too much as some workers also contributed for the entertainment. You know everybody want promotion,” she asserted.
