Tom Garba
Players of Taraba State Football Club have decried the nonpayment of Salary for over eight Months.
The Players who was out on Monday and Tuesday May 2017 for a Peaceful demonstration at the TARABA Stadium in Jalingo, the State Capital have vowed to quit the Club immediately if the State Government paid them their pending Salaries.
Speaking to newsmen on the protest, Spoke Persons of the Club, Mr. Ajiga Isaac and Yusuf Usman Dadiga said they decided to lucked the the gate of the Stadium in order to show their grievances over the inhuman attitude by the State Government Under the leadership of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku for refusing to pay their Salaries of over #17m.
They explained that, since they came back from a premier league in 2005 they have not been paid, pointing out that they have suffered a lot as many of them are family men and strangers but they have no money to even eat three square meal rather to visit or send to their Families.
” Some of Us are from Cameroon, some from other States here in Nigeria but since this Government came on Board we have been battling with them unlike the Previous ones like, during the regime of Jolly Nyami, Danbaba, UTC and Sani Contact the assisted this Club a lot but now we don’t even have Camp and our Supporters Vehicle Governor Darius had collected the Bus and now they are using it to sale “CUCUMBER”, so we want the government to pay Us our Salaries and ban the Club, some nine months, some eight months like me Isaac my Salary is fifty thousand naira only per month and they are owing me nine months”. One of the players revealed.
A lady from the female team who pleaded anonymity explained that, she has not visited her parent for over two years now due to financial constraints, saying that it is difficult for many of them to even eat three square meal in a day, while she alleged that the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Darius on Media and Publicity Mr. Silvanus Giwa had on Monday 15-5-2017 went to the Stadium where they positioned themselves and attempted to use Police Personnel to arrest their leaders, a situation that made some of them had injured where she expressed dismay over the incident and urged the state government to settle them.
When contacted through a phone call, the SA to the Governor Mr. Silvanus Giwa did not picked the call and an SMS was sent to him in respect to the allegation against him still as at the time of filing this report there was no response.
Meanwhile, commenting on the matter through a telephone interview, Taraba State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Pastor Gambo Nbafor attributed the delay in paying their Salaries to lack of available funding as a result of the economic recession the Country found itself, adding that the State Governor has much interest on youths, Taraba Football Club in particular and promised that within a short period they will be paid.
” You see, Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku has a lot of programs that touches the lives of the people not only on Sports development but he touches various areas like, education, health, Agriculture, infrastructure among others just with a view to move the state to a greater height”. Gambo emphasized.
In another development, some some security at the Taraba Stadium who are under a private guards Company called ” Aliyan Global Security” in Jalingo have called on the organization to pay them their three years Salaries to enable them take care of their families which includes the payment of School Fees for their children.
When contacted, the Managing Director of the Company Mr. Ajafor confirmed the non payment of salary of their men at the Taraba State Stadium, pointed out that the company got a renewal of contract with present administration and there is a budget on that and whenever the fund is made available they will be paid as usual.
