On Wednesday August 19, 2015, angry Staff of the Imo State House of Assembly shut down power supply in the Assembly complex, switching off electrical appliances and leaving the hallowed chambers in a pitch darkness while lawmakers were in plenary.
The action virtually locked in the lawmakers who resorted to using their phone light to access their various offices and collect their personal effects.
The reason for the shut down was the nonpayment of five months salary arrears owed the staff by the State government.
However, the main reason was that one of the workers whose baby was sick could not get any money to take the baby to any private hospital. This is even as none of the general hospitals owned by the state was working while the federal medical centre Owerri is as expensive as any private hospital.
The woman whose baby was dying in convulsion as a result of excessive fever, decided to bring the dying baby to the House of Assembly complex where she cried to the leadership of Parliamentary Staff Association Of Nigeria, PASAN, who immediately ordered the workers out of their offices.
On seeing the condition of the baby, the staff contributed some money for the baby to be taken to the hospital while the rest started chanting solidarity songs against the state government and the speaker for abandoning them to die in hunger while they (house members) were busy drawing their own salaries and taking care of their families.
The workers’ anger was aggravated by the promise made to them by the speaker the previous week that he would do his best to get them paid at least one month salary before that Wednesday.
While this was happening, the lawmakers were gathering to sit for plenary. This led the staff to down tools immediately without notice as those in charge of various departments locked down their offices including electrical departments.
This forced the speaker to abruptly adjourn plenary and rushed out to address the workers.
He appealed to them to continue to bear with the leadership of the house as according to him, the governor was not in the state.
He again promised to get the governor to pay the workers as soon as possible
However, as early as 8am the next day Thursday, the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and angry House of Assembly workers barricaded the entrance to the Assembly complex denying lawmakers access to their offices and legislative chambers.
This it was learnt was because the promise made to them by the speaker that he would get Governor ROchas Okorocha to pay them their salary arrears.
Our reporter learnt that the workers would commence full strike action today Friday.
