By Tina George, Minna
The workers of Kabanti Private Security took on Monday, protested at the Jumai Babangida Aliyu Maternal and Newborn Hospital in Minna over unpaid salaries refusing to return to work until after they are paid.
They carried different placards with inscriptions: “Pay us well, we are husbands,” “We are humans, we have children, we fall sick”, “We are hungry, we need to feed our children, pay us our salaries”, etc.
The security guards claimed that they are being owed salaries of over seven months while the hospital management claims it is six months.
The plight of the security guards
Speaking to newsmen during the protest in Minna, many of the security guards said the hospital has been unfair to them, especially as they carry out their jobs diligently and majority of them do not fail to go to work.
One of the supervisors of Kabanti security in the hospital, Abubakar Bello said that they were not paid regularly and have laid complaints to the management, which have fallen on deaf ears.
“It is almost seven and a half months that we are being owed salaries, day by day, they promise to pay but that is the way they have been promising for long.
“Since January 2019, if they pay us for two months, they will skip and not pay for two months. That is the way they have been doing. We have been coming to work; we do not miss work at all, either in rain or sun. We are always in our duty post, so why shouldn’t we be paid?
“If we fall sick, they cannot help us, we take care of ourselves. We have several complaints to the organization that employed us and posted us here.
“But they claim they haven’t been paid by the government and that the problem is from the government and not from us. We are tired, that is why we are voicing out our grievances.”
Another security guard, Shakirat Abdulrahman said that they will continue protesting until their money is paid, “we are humans, we need this money for survival.
“If they are the ones that are being owed even one month salary, they will go on strike, yet they are owning us for this long and expect is to continue bearing it. We can’t.
“We have family, we have children, if they want to sack us, fine, but first, they should pay us the salaries that are being owed.”
Another Guard, Bashir Ali said that some of the guards come from places as far as Chachanga and Bosso and they trek to work because of lack of money for transportation.
“Most of us struggle to come to work because of transportation. Most of us come from far places like Bosso, Chachanga, Fadikpe, Kpakungun and we trek because of no transport money.
“We often sleep here and are bitten by mosquitoes, we treat malaria all the time and they do not help us at all. They should pay us our salaries.”
A security man does not go on strike – Head of Kabanti Security in Niger state
The Head of Kabanti Security in Niger state, retired DSP Mundi when contacted said he was not told beforehand that the guards would be protesting but when he was contacted, he rushed to see them and appeal to them.
He said that he understands their pain but they need to know that a security man does not go on strike, no matter the circumstances.
“I came this morning and met them protesting. We have been talking to them that a security man does not go on strike and we have told them that the government is trying its best to ensure that the money owed is paid.
“The sad thing is that when I came and saw them protesting, I called them to come to me so that we can discuss but they refused and went on protesting. I have called the head office to inform them and we have also arranged a meeting to explain things to them.
“The problem is not from us, it is from the Ministry of Health, they said that there are no funds and if there is the availability of funds, they will pay.”
The hospital’s dilemma
The Managing Director of the Jumai Babangida Aliyu Maternal and Newborn Hospital, Dr Magaji Aminu said that it is not only the security guards that are being owed salaries, he said the hospital cleaners are also owed salaries but they did not protest.
“We have two outfits we engaged to employ staff in the hospital; one is to employ the outside cleaners while the other is to employ the security guards.
“These two organizations are paid directly from the Ministry of health who contracted them to engage staff for the hospital. They in turn, pay the staff that they employ. The hospital does not directly pay them.”
The Managing Director acknowledged that the guards are being owed salaries attributing this to the downfall of the resources in the state.
“Because of the economic meltdown, the state has been having challenges of paying the staff. So in some months, they are skipped. In 2018, they were owed two months. In 2019, they were owed two months and two months this year. ”
He added that the management is doing their best to ensure that they are paid while expressing surprise that despite all ongoing talks, the Kabanti Guards still went ahead to embark on strike.
“The other outfit which is the cleaners did not join them and they are also affected by the non-payment of salaries. They need to understand that funds are low for the state now.”
Aminu said that they cannot pay the staff from the hospital’s account because the hospital is already overburdened with paying its ad-hoc staff and meeting some of its expenses.
“The cleaners that clean inside the hospital are being paid by the hospital. it is those who clean outside the hospital that are paid by the contracting organization.
He assured that the issue would be ironed out very soon and the security guards and cleaners would be paid their salaries.
