From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Beneficiaries of the Federal Government Special Public Work (SPW) in Edo State, yesterday, decried the non-payment of their stipend.
Addressing newsmen in Benin, Stanley Nosa Okundia, president, Aggrieved Participants of Special Public Work (APSPW), said the group is a body of registered and verified participants of the Federal Government 774,000 jobs who are yet to be paid after the rigours of bank registration, meeting attendance and participation in the public work.
He said it was sad to know that up till now, they were yet to be paid while most of their colleagues have since been paid over five months ago and nothing has been said or attempts made to address the abnormal situation.
Okundia said the situation has forced some into depression and that the government should rise to the occasion and pay them their entitlements.
“We use this medium to plead with him to come to our rescue, some of our colleagues have gone into depression and crime while others have committed suicide because of their inability to feed their families, pay school fees, and house rents, this will go a along way to cushion the bitting economic hardship bedevilling us,” he said.
Okundia also called on Festus Keyamo to wade in and ensure those who enrolled in the scheme are paid.
“Having known the past record of Keyamo for defending the ‘talakawas’ against oppression and his 774,000 job initiatives for the poor Nigeria, hence he might not be aware of this development,” he said.
