I wish to make a passionate appeal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, to kindly and urgently pay the promotion arrears of workers under his ministry.
As you read this piece, hundreds of staff who were promoted in 2016, 2017 and 2018 are yet to be paid their promotion arrears.
Some of these affected staff, especially those who got their promotion in 2016, are once again due for another round of promotion.
Again, due to the failure of the minister to pay these arrears, all staff who qualified for promotion in 2019 are yet to receive it.
Musa Bello is no doubt an honourable gentleman, a person who detests any corrupt behaviour and who is believed to be like President Muhammadu Buhari in character and disposition. His stewardship has seen sanity brought to bear in all dealings in the affairs of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). He used to urge and advise civil servants in the ministry to work hard and earn legitimately. He also made it clear that he was not there as minister to grant workers land and other freebies. He didn’t just block workers from unwholesome activities but lead by example. That’s why he has succeeded in completing most major projects he inherited from his predecessors.
Where the minister has fallen short in his second coming is his inability to take care of staff welfare. His failure to pay the 2016, 2017, 2018 and now 2019 arrears is generating a lot of ill will and feeling. The morale of staff of the FCTA is at its lowest ebb. There is a sinister plot to cause a serious embarrassment to the minister and make all the achievements he recorded to be clouded through a well-thought-out campaign of character assassination by some of the aggrieved staff.
Although it was said that the minister promised to pay the outstanding arrears owed the promoted staff at the end of this month (March 2021), majority of the affected staff do not believe that because, according to them, he made similar promises in the past, which he failed to redeem.
As someone who loves the minister for his achievements, which speak for him, I want to use this medium to appeal to him to urgently pay those outstanding arrears.
We expect the minister to be truly honourable and honour his promise by paying the affected staff what rightfully belongs to them. Failure to do that may lead to unnecessary industrial action, which will no doubt put a dent to his reputation.
Ziya’ul Haq Faruk Suleiman, an FCTA staff, wrote from Abuja
