By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI—Uneasy calm now pervades the ranks of civil servants in Imo State, following the non-payment of their salaries in the past two months.

At the time of going to press, staff of the judiciary, including serving High Court Judges, are owed two months salary arrears.

Strong feelers from the judiciary revealed that “the executive arm of the state government is not in a hurry to implement the recent High Court judgment on the independence of the judiciary.”

Although it was not clear what sort of agreement the state government entered into with the state branch of Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, that led to the suspension of the protracted industrial action, Vanguard, however, gathered that the unionists were getting a bit restive over their unpaid salaries.

The situation is not different in Imo Newspapers Limited, publishers of The Statesman newspaper, as workers in this establishment are owed about 17 months salaries.

Similarly, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Imo State University branch, are similarly spoiling for war with the institution’s management over unpaid salaries.

An inside source told Vanguard that the aggrieved lecturers have given the university management up to tomorrow to clear the arrears of their two months salaries.

Vanguard recalls that Governor Rochas Okorocha, while addressing the May Day rally, lamented that 98 per cent of the state allocation was consumed by politicians and civil servants, stressing that only two per cent was left to service other sectors.

Okorocha expressed sadness that after paying the monthly earnings of workers and political appointees, nothing was left to service other sectors.

“About N4,123,000,000 is spent on the monthly wage bill of workers and political appointees.

‘’This throws the state off balance, especially when we remember that the nation’s economy has fallen drastically, which has in turn affected the federal allocation to the state,” Okorocha said.