The Bayelsa State Government has expressed concern that money deducted every month from civil servants for housing projects is not being used. The government has warned that it may withdraw its workers from the National Housing Scheme if the situation does not improve.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known when the State Chairman and other leaders of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) visited him at Government House, Yenagoa.
He complained that although money is deducted monthly from the salaries of Bayelsa civil servants, there is no single housing project to show for it. He described the situation as troubling and said the government may pull out of the scheme if nothing is done to make it work.
According to him, it makes no economic sense for billions of naira to sit unused in the scheme while no houses are being built for the workers who contribute the money.
The Deputy Governor called on ASCSN and other labour unions to take action. He also directed the Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mr. Saturday Odoko, to meet with the relevant federal agencies to find out the true status of the deducted housing funds, which are believed to run into billions.
He said “As a government, we are worried that our civil servants are not benefiting from the National Housing Scheme they contribute to. It is unacceptable that money is deducted every month from their salaries but they are not getting the benefits. If the operators of the scheme do not fix these issues, we will not hesitate to withdraw our civil servants from it.”
Responding to other issues raised by the ASCSN delegation, the Deputy Governor urged labour unions to think beyond their monthly dues and begin investing in projects that will grow their financial strength. He also assured them that the government will support the ongoing ASCSN secretariat project.
Earlier, the state ASCSN Chairman, Comrade Laye Julius, called on the government to look into what is happening to the National Housing Scheme funds. He complained that workers have been contributing since 2007, yet not a single house has been built in Bayelsa.
He also invited the Deputy Governor to deliver a lecture at the union’s seminar next month and appealed for government support to complete the ASCSN state secretariat project.
