By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN— GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, weekend, threatened to sue the Federal Government over the monthly deduction of over N7 million at source from the allocation of the 18 local government areas in the state.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State has faulted the allegation by Governor Oshiomhole that the current strike action by workers in the state was sponsored by the opposition.

State Chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, who spoke, weekend, at a stakeholders meeting of the party attended by the former Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, said PDP had nothing to do with the strike action and noted that the workers’ demands were legitimate.

Orbih said: “I sympathise with our workers because they are being attacked and intimidated by the Governor for fighting for their legitimate right. The workers’ demands are all germane, because from colonial rule till date, no government in the state has imposed tax on the people more than this present ACN government.”

Oshiomhole explained that the Federal Government claimed the money deducted was meant for the building of health centres in the councils. He said: “As I speak, I have not seen any health centre in any of the councils built by the Federal Government and that is unacceptable.”

Oshiomhole spoke during a meeting with the organised labour in the state, where he described the current strike action embarked upon by the workers as illegal and politically-motivated. Organised labour in the state had called out workers to embark on strike two weeks after the signing of a new minimum wage agreement with government on July 11. They said the strike was in sympathy with members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, who want to be included in the new wage structure, despite having a separate wage structure, Teachers’ Salary Structure, TSS.

Other demands by labour were: three-month tax holiday for workers to “enjoy” the new minimum wage; the issue of VAT deductions by the Federal Inland Revenue Service from councils’ allocation; democratisation of the local government system; the issue of deductions from councils’ statutory allocation and remittance of 10 per cent of internally-generated revenue to councils.