26 States Owe LG Workers’ Salaries

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said
that 23 states of the federation currently owed local government
workers’ arrears of salary ranging from one to 16 months.

National president of the union, Ibrahim Khaleel stated this in
a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday.

According to Kaheel, Bayelsa State was leading in indebtedness
to local council workers with between 10 to 16 months, followed by
Kogi between seven to 15 months; Delta State eight to 14
months.

“Kaduna 12 months; Oyo three to 11 months; Edo 10 months; Abia
five to nine months; Kwara two to nine months; Benue nine months
and Nasarawa seven months.

“Ondo, Ekiti, Imo with six months; Zanfara have not implementing
minimum wage, Adamawa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Plateau owing
four months, Taraba and FCT three months.

“While Osun state has been paying half salaries for 24 months
and few staff were owed few months in Enugu,” he said.

The union noted that Ekiti has refused to remit union dues for
the past nine months and Ogun has not also remitted its deduction
for seven months.

The national president also said that 700 staff members were
owed between one to three months in Cross River State.

He called on the governors of the states to offset the salaries
and other allowances of local government workers with the second
tranche of the Paris Loan Refund released to them.

He said that failure to do so, the union would be forced to
mobilised and shut down all local government councils in the
country.

Khaleel called on the state governors not to divert or tamper
with the second tranche of Paris Club Loan refund but use it to
offset the entitlement of the workers.

He, however, said the union was aware that some state governors
were already claiming that the amount released was not in
conformity with the published figure.

“We want to state in strong term that no governor should either
divert or tamper with the fund.

“This should be an avenue where the backlog of arrears of
salaries owed the Local Government workers and some other welfare
packages should be settled.

“Such as leave bonus, arrears of promotion benefits, arrears of
annual increment and non implementation of minimum wage most
especially in Zamfara State are resolved and paid.

“We, therefore, use this medium to appeal passionately to the
State Governors to use this 2nd Tranche of Paris club loan refund
to clear the backlog arrears of outstanding salaries.

“This is in order to ameliorate the untold hardship they are
currently passing through due to this ugly situation,” he said.

He added that the union will not tolerate a situation where any
state governor will hide under any guise to deny local government
workers their legitimate salaries and allowances.

Khaleed commended the 14 states including Lagos, Ogun, Kano,
Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Cross
River, Niger and Anambra that were up to day in the entitlement of
local government workers.

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said
that 23 states of the federation currently owed local government
workers’ arrears of salary ranging from one to 16 months.

National president of the union, Ibrahim Khaleel stated this in
a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday.

According to Kaheel, Bayelsa State was leading in indebtedness
to local council workers with between 10 to 16 months, followed by
Kogi between seven to 15 months; Delta State eight to 14
months.

“Kaduna 12 months; Oyo three to 11 months; Edo 10 months; Abia
five to nine months; Kwara two to nine months; Benue nine months
and Nasarawa seven months.

“Ondo, Ekiti, Imo with six months; Zanfara have not implementing
minimum wage, Adamawa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Plateau owing
four months, Taraba and FCT three months.

“While Osun state has been paying half salaries for 24 months
and few staff were owed few months in Enugu,” he said.

The union noted that Ekiti has refused to remit union dues for
the past nine months and Ogun has not also remitted its deduction
for seven months.

The national president also said that 700 staff members were
owed between one to three months in Cross River State.

He called on the governors of the states to offset the salaries
and other allowances of local government workers with the second
tranche of the Paris Loan Refund released to them.

He said that failure to do so, the union would be forced to
mobilised and shut down all local government councils in the
country.

Khaleel called on the state governors not to divert or tamper
with the second tranche of Paris Club Loan refund but use it to
offset the entitlement of the workers.

He, however, said the union was aware that some state governors
were already claiming that the amount released was not in
conformity with the published figure.

“We want to state in strong term that no governor should either
divert or tamper with the fund.

“This should be an avenue where the backlog of arrears of
salaries owed the Local Government workers and some other welfare
packages should be settled.

“Such as leave bonus, arrears of promotion benefits, arrears of
annual increment and non implementation of minimum wage most
especially in Zamfara State are resolved and paid.

“We, therefore, use this medium to appeal passionately to the
State Governors to use this 2nd Tranche of Paris club loan refund
to clear the backlog arrears of outstanding salaries.

“This is in order to ameliorate the untold hardship they are
currently passing through due to this ugly situation,” he said.

He added that the union will not tolerate a situation where any
state governor will hide under any guise to deny local government
workers their legitimate salaries and allowances.

Khaleed commended the 14 states including Lagos, Ogun, Kano,
Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Cross
River, Niger and Anambra that were up to day in the entitlement of
local government workers.