A political activist and former House of Representatives candidate for Dekina/Bassa federal constituency, Usman Okai, on Saturday raised concerns about the deteriorating state of education and the civil service workforce in Kogi State, urging the state government to take immediate action.
Okai criticized the state government for neglecting primary and secondary schools, describing them as “dead” and in “desperate need” of intervention.
In a statement he issued on Saturday, the politician cum activist called on the administration to prioritize rehabilitating government and community schools to address the crisis.
While commending the government for paying workers’ salaries, Okai questioned the significance of this achievement given the dwindling number of civil servants.
“The junior workers, who are supposed to benefit from the new minimum wage, are no longer in service in Kogi State,” he said, blaming this on insufficient recruitment efforts.
The activist highlighted the impact of a controversial workforce screening exercise conducted during the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, which he alleged led to the dismissal of over 70% of workers without adequate replacements.
He also pointed fingers at key figures, including Governor Usman Ododo, Deputy Governor Salifu Joel Oyibo, and Alhaji Yakubu Okala, accusing them of being aware of the ongoing workforce crisis but failing to act.
“Some people have been working for over six years without receiving salaries,” Okai alleged.
He challenged the state government to disclose the total number of workers and the wage bill for both state and local government employees to counter his claims.
Okai noted that Kogi State has one of the lowest civil service workforce numbers among northern states, attributing this to the failure to recruit replacements for retirees.
Despite these criticisms, Okai acknowledged the state government’s efforts in improving security, describing the progress as commendable.
However, he emphasized that addressing the workers’ plight and revitalizing the education sector should be top priorities.