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The protesting casual workers
By Akanji Alowolodu, Gombe
Casual workers mostly women engaged by a company, INEX Cleaners in Gombe State staged a peaceful protest against their alleged disengagement and replacement by the company demanding for explanation from the government over the development.
The workers who trooped out in their hundreds marched to the Government House and staged their protested at front gate chanting various solidarity songs begging the state Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to as a matter of urgency wade into the matter into the development with a view to assuring
The Aggrieved workers alleged that some powers that be in the Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA) which is their employer through the company have refused to carry out the directives of the Governor directing the new contractor to retain them.
One of the workers, Sania Sarka from Balanga LGA lamented that they have been displaced having worked for over 10 years receiving N12,000 monthly in spite of the promise made by the Governor that the new company will engage their services.
She said that, “We just woke up to discover that some new people have taken over our place of work which is lot 6 asking us to vacate the place immediately. We want justice from the government”.
But in a reaction to the development, the State Government through Julius Ishaya Lapes, Commissioner of Information and Culture stared that, “In the early hours of today (Thursday) been the 7th of April 2022, a protest was staged by supposedly aggrieved workers of INEX cleaner in front of the main entrance of the Government House” .
The statement further contained that, “It is believed that the protest followed the expiration of contract between the Gombe State Government and the INEX cleaners after the present administration in the State graciously extended the contract agreement by 9 months” .
According to the Commissioner, “It is however important to State that INEX cleaners is a private environmental service providers engaged by the State Government for clearing and evacuation of waste within the State capital” .
“However, in compliance with the public procurement law of Gombe State, the job for the evacuation of waste in the State capital was advertise to the public for bidding. The outcome of the bidding process eventually shows that INEX cleaners bidded a much higher contract sum than than the company the State Government has so far contracted”, he further stated.
Ishaya Lepes added that, “In sealing the contract with the new environmental company, the Gombe State Government gave a condition that all workers with INEX cleaners should be retained with a much higher pay” .
He said that the Gombe State Government strongly believed that the decision to engage the services of a new environmental company was done in the best interest of the State and its people particularly the workers.
The Commissioner added that, Government has it on a good account that some Supervisors with INEX cleaners are bent on causing confusion and mischief in the process.
“To this end, the Government wishes to use this medium to warn trouble makers particularly the supervisors to stay clear from act that will bring about the breakdown of law and order as the long arm of the law will catch with anyone who in the habit of doing so”, he concluded.
