It was tears, regrets, anguish, grief, as a staff of the Imo State House of Assembly, Mrs. Diana Chika Adiele, was laid to rest, at her village, Ebikoro, Umuoba, Uratta, Owerri North, Local Government Area of Imo State.

She left behind a young son, her family members and her state Assembly colleagues, who were devastated and full of misgivings over the government’s failure to pay her wages, while she was alive.

Narrating her ordeal, Assembly sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondents that Mrs. Diana, who was a divorcee that catered for her only child, died on the September 16, 2015, over her inability to procure drugs to treat typhoid fever.

While disclosing that Mrs. Adiele, who was owed alongside other Assembly staff and past political appointees since May 2015, looked weak and frail on the day of their protest against the governor, a situation, they said, made her lie in front of the links Hotel till the end of the day’s protest, in solidarity to her colleagues and in demand for the payment of salaries that she worked for.

They regretted that her inability to get help from anywhere due to the cash squeeze that is very visible in the state, the wickedness of the health workers who refused to treat her on credit and the government insensitivity to the plight of the Assembly workers caused her untimely death. Maintaining that she is a kind woman whose services, dedication and experience will be missed at the state legislature.

Commiserating with the family, amidst tears and wailings, the Assembly Workers, said the death of Mrs Adiele was a loss not only to her direct family and son, but to all Nigerians of goodwill and good conscience who seek a better society and good governance.

They described her death, as a big deficit to their Imo State branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress and Imo workers who are in the struggle for the emancipation of the state from the shackles of reckless and greedy government.

While calling on the Governor to pay their outstanding salaries to forestall further occurrences, they blamed the crisis that resulted to the non-payment of Imo Assembly workers salaries to gossip and witch-hunt by people who do not mean well for the peace and progress of the state, as well as, the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere’s interference in the payment module of the state Assembly.

•Photo shows late Mrs. Diana Chika Adiele.

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