“These widows who were hired as casual workers without job security and laid off due to redundancy from paucity of funds where the local Council could no longer afford to keep them in their employ”
An appeal has been made to the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno to direct the Eket local government Chairman; Hon Akaninyene Tommey to pay backlog of wages owed to some street workers who were laid off without pay since 2020.
In a commendation letter by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Akwa Ibom State chapter signed by its State Spokesman; Manfred Ekpe Jnr., the state governor was lauded for extending his compassion to a fourteen years old orphan boy; Abraham Sunday who was spotted doing his academic homework under streetlight.
The release read “The AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC) has watched on AIT the news of the extension of compassion by Governor Umo Eno to a 14 year old orphan boy, Mr Abraham Sunday a Junior Secondary School class 3 student who had no electricity in his home and resorted to doing his academic homework under the streetlight at night.
We watched this video some weeks ago but could never know that help will locate this boy. To the best of our knowledge this is the only governor that is always available in public space via the social media to watch, study and act on the concerns of his people”.
Describing Gov Umo Eno as ‘most compassionate governor’, the ADC continued: “The governor immediately on watching the video ordered his Special Assistant on Humanitarian Affairs to install solar electricity in the boy’s home. His Excellency did not stop there but also ordered the immediate reconstruction of the boy’s shanty home.
ADC can say that it seems to appear that this governor is the most compassionate since the creation of Akwa Ibom State or perhaps in Africa.
We commend the governor on this rear attribute while reserving the continued right to criticize the governor when we feel he has gone off rail. Sycophancy is the the death pill to any public officeholder and remaining silent when things go wrong is the devil bedeviling our society”.
On the wages owed the widows, the party said: “ADC also calls on the governor to please direct the chairman of Eket Local Government to please invite and pay the over one year wages owed to some street workers in Eket since the year 2020. These widows who were hired as casual workers without job security and laid off due to redundancy from paucity of funds where the local Council could no longer afford to keep them in their employ.
The aggregate of their wages is just 1.5 Million Naira. Your Excellency the wages, though small for each of these widows means a lot for them as they have resigned to fate since nobody cares to stand up for them since they are the lowliest of this world. I am sure the incumbent Council chairman, Hon. Akaninyene Tommey has not been put on notice of this debt.
Kindly extend your milk of compassion to these widows please, while closing your eyes on possibly, the irritating signatory to this appeal. Kindly discard the messenger but take the message for the sake of humanity”.
