Eniola Olayemi
Sweepers of the Lagos State Community under the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) yesterday staged another protest to the seat of power in Alausa, the second in two weeks, against non-payment of November/December salaries among other grievances.
The street sweepers who stormed the area last week said they had to repeat the action yesterday because the promises made to them last week especially over payment of salaries had not been adhered to by the government and that they were suffering as a result.
According to one of the protesters, Oluwatobi Adeyeye, they protested to Alausa when they held a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Biodun Bamgboye with the head of LAWMA and other government officials in attendance where they tabled their grievances.
And the government team promised to get in touch with them on Friday but failed to do so, and every attempt by them to get in touch with the Permanent Secretary through calls and messages were not answered, even when they visited his office on Thursday last week to see him they couldn’t after waiting for hours in his office because he was not around.
“Yesterday (Sunday) we sent him a message telling him we were coming today if they don’t see us and that is why we are here”.
Speaking with journalists after addressing the protesters, the Permanent Secretary said the ministry has already commenced the payment of their November salary from yesterday and that approval for the December salary has been received and the ministry was working on it.
Bamgboye told them that they should compile the names of those who by Thursday evening did not receive alert and bring the list to him on Friday.
Some of protesters confirmed that they have started receiving alert for November salary but expressed sadness over the delay in the payment of their salaries, urging the Permanent Secretary to ensure that they receive their December salary in time.
Bamgboye also said the other grievances of the protesters were being addressed, adding that it is a problem of transiting from one scheme to other.
“The scheme under which they have been operating is not the same with the Civil Service scheme, so the process of transiting from one scheme to the other is responsible for what other problems they have highlighted and it is being addressed; it is a transition problem”, he said.
