NULGE: Bayelsa, Kogi lead 23 debtor-states

Thousands of local government workers in the 23 states are currently being owed backlog of salaries, ranging from between one and 16 months, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has said.

National President, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Ibrahim Khaleel in a statement released in Abuja, said Bayelsa State was leading in indebtedness to local council workers, with between 10 to 16 months, followed by Kogi State, which owes between seven to 15 months; and Delta State, owes eight to 14 months.

He said other debtor states were, “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; Zamfara 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 workers’ salaries for 24 months; and few workers were owed few months in Enugu.”

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

However, the Bayelsa Government said in Yenagoa that it was not owing council workers 16 months’ salary arrears as claimed by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees.

Dr Agatha Goma, Bayelsa Commissioner of Local Government Administration, in a statement described NULGE’s claims as false and misleading.
Goma said that the indebtedness to council workers in Bayelsa stood at nine and half months.

“The claim is not true. The local government councils in the state owe nine and half months’ salary with the exception of Ogbia Local Government Council, whose debt is 10 and half months in salary arrears. This regrettable situation is not deliberate, as no responsible government will intentionally deny its workforce their legitimate rights to salary as at when due.”