BY PETER OKUTU
At a time,  Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State, is expected to be improving on the achievements he recorded in his first term, his government is facing challenges from many quarters especially from civil servants and the election petition tribunal.

So,100 days into his second tenure, Elechi is yet to record much mileage in terms of  consolidating on  his numerous projects on roads, water schemes, bridges, construction of international market, construction of the New Ochudo city among others.

Controversies trailing the last election are still playing out in addition to the resumption of strike by both civil and public workers over non-implementation of the N18, 000 minimum wage by the state government.

The governor’s legal team is said to be having a tough time at the election tribunal sitting in Abakaliki.  The result of  forensic analysis carried out on the ballot papers used for the guber election was said to have reduced the number of votes he got at the polls.

So far,  the Governor is said to have lost about 100,000 votes from the total number votes declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC after the election, leading to speculations that  the tribunal might either cancel the election or declare Senator Julius Ali Ucha of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, as winner of the polls.

Accordingly, tension is gradually building up at every tribunal sitting in Abakaliki as supporters of Senator Julius Ucha having noted the outcome of the forensic analysis are waiting to celebrate with their political helmsman.

Ironically, in 2007, the first 100 days of Governor  Elechi  were marred by industrial action as workers  clamoured for increase in their salaries. The agitation  crippled activities in the state for some months until Elechi met  the workers’ demands

In 2011, the workers are at it again as Elechi  marked another 100th day in office. The civil servants are clamouring for the implementation of the new minimum wage as contained in the Minimum Wage Act of 2011.

This clamour has led to the commencement of an indefinite strike by workers in the state as directed by organized labour. The Union directed all civil and public servants in Ebonyi to proceed on an indefinite strike with effect from Wednesday, September 7 as dialogues with the state government had not yielded meaningful result.

In a communiqué signed by the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, JPSNC, (Trade Union Side), the Council-in-session observed that the table presented by the state government for implementation in Ebonyi  was not in conformity with the Minimum Wage Act, 2011 and therefore not acceptable to the workforce in the state.

Chairman, Caretaker Committee, NLC, Comrade Ike Abugu, told reporters that “the Organized Labour in Ebonyi will not accept any Minimum Wage short of the N18, 000 as stipulated in the National Minimum Wage Act, 2011. The problems of Pensioners in Ebonyi State, who have been suffering for years now are not being given any meaningful attention even when the 68 months arrears of the 142 per cent increase owed them was one of the issues raised by Organized Labour for governments to address.”

He insisted that “payment of the real N18, 000 Minimum Wage in Ebonyi state, as well as the arrears as contained in the Minimum Wage Act, 2011 with effect from March 23 to August, 2011, should commence immediately.”

Acknowledging  the right of Labour to embark on strike whenever it wished, Governor Elechi stressed that there was no basis for the current  strike  because  negotiation as to how and when the implementation of the new wage would begin was still in top gear.

Elechi called on Labour to be reasonable in its course of action adding that if the new wage was implemented, it would gulp N8 billion or more to sustain its implementation annually.

His words: “There is no basis for it (strike) because the communiqué issued was done by the black sheep of the labour union. It does not represent the correct relationship we have with the Union. It did not because we had a meeting with them, which was adjourned till last Friday.

And before that last Friday, we were given an ultimatum.

“What is the basis for it? It is only when you reach a stalemate that it becomes necessary to issue an ultimatum. There is no case of stalemate. The discussion were going on in stages. I haven’t been briefed, but I know it happened amicably and I did not envisage a strike.

They should be reasonable. It is costing us roughly two billion naira per annum to pay the civil servants who are less than 10,000 in the state but by the new wage arrangement we are progressing to N8 billion and above. What is left for us to run the government that is the danger?”

In terms of performance,  Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Onyekachi Eni, who stated that although Elechi did  not believe in the 100 days period for measuring achievements, however noted that the administration had among other achievements  consolidated on t stability, peace and security in the state.

Eni that the Governor  had also consolidated on numerous social and infrastructural amenities initiated during his first tenure. He gave examples as the unity bridges and expansion of roads and numerous   ongoing projects like the Ebonyi 5-star hotel,  international market and prosecution of the crusade for attitudinal change.

He said that inadequate funds  and payment of the new minimum wage were some of the challenges facing the state.