Former political office holders from various councils in Lagos State, who served between 2004 and 2007, yesterday, stormed the streets of Lagos and barricaded road linking the state House of Assembly and Governors office to protest nonpayment of their salaries and entitlements.The protesters who stormed the Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa armed with placards with inscriptions: Ogun, Bayelsa and other smaller states have paid, why Lagos; Please pay our money, our members are dying daily among others lamented the state governments neglect.The Muslims amongst ex-political office holders defied the scorching sun to observe their Zuhr (Muslim afternoon prayer), on the road while those not involve in the worship sat on the road, to express their displeasure over the act.They lamented that many have died waiting for the unpaid salaries by the state government, raised the alarm that three of their members financially incapacitated have threaten to commit suicide due to their present predicament.Complaining over the continued withheld of the fund, the ex-political office holders argued that the Federal Government had since remitted the fund to the coffers of the state government.Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Adewale Benson, who served in Surulere, lamented that the state has enough in its coffers to pay their salaries.His words, we expect that the state governor will pay us. Just recently, the Federal Government released N14 billion to Lagos, as their share from the Paris fund. This is what other states that did less than Lagos used in offsetting their unpaid salaries. We expect Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to also do same for us.I can tell you today that Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, offset salaries of former political holders in the state and heaven did not fall. Also, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, few weeks ago, cleared the backlog of salaries of ex-political office holders.If all these states could embark on such venture to save its people, why Lagos that makes over N20 billion monthly as Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), Benson added.Addressing the protesters, Deputy Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olumuyiwa Jimoh, said: the issue was long overdue but the lawmakers do not have the responsibility to clear the fund. It is the executive.While persuading the protesters to sheath their sword and return home, Jimoh, who served as a member of the committee on local government administrative, argued: we have recommended that severance and other unpaid entitlement should be paid urgently.But the only hurdle to their money was Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), recommendation on 2004-2007. The recommendation did not capture their service time and that implies that their benefits were not included in the report. Our own is to recommend to the executive but it is the governors duty to implement the recommendation.
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