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The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has revealed some disappointing news that, no fewer than 23 states of Nigeria currently owe local government workers their salaries.
the states mentioned, including Delta State owe as much as 16 months arrears According to reports from NULGE, 23 states of the federation currently owe local government workers’ arrears of salary, ranging from one to 16 months.
Ibrahim Khaleel, the national president of the union, stated this in a statement issued on Monday, June 26, in Abuja.
According to Vanguard, Mr Khaleel said that Bayelsa state is owing local council workers the most with between 10 and 16 months unpaid. Below is the full list of states and amounts they owe compiled by NAIJ.com: 1. Bayelsa – Between 10-16 months 2. Kogi – Between 7-15 months 3. Delta – Between 8-14 months 4. Kaduna – 12 months 5. Oyo – 3-11 months 6. Edo – 10 months 7. Abia – 5-9 months 8. Kwara – 2-9 months 9. Benue – 9 months 10. Nasarawa – 7 months 11. Ondo – 6 months 12. Ekiti – 6 months 13. Imo – 6 months 14. Zamfara (Has not started implementing minimum wage) 15. Adamawa – 4 months 16. Rivers – 4 months 17. Akwa Ibom – 4 months 18. Ebonyi – 4 months 19. Plateau – 4 months 20. Taraba – 3 months 21. FCT, Abuja – 3 months 22. Cross River ( 700 staff members are owed between one and three months) 23. Ogun (Has not also remitted its deduction for seven months)
Mr Khaleel 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. According to him, failure to do so, would make the union mobilise and shut down all local government councils in the country.
“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 second tranche of Paris club loan refund to clear the backlog of arrears of outstanding salaries,” 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.
Meanwhile, it was gatgered that following the failure of some states to use the first tranche of Paris refund loan to pay salaries or to offset arrears of pension deductions. Labour unions have called on the EFCC and the ICPC to probe the states which defaulted in the first tranche of the N516bn Paris Club loan refund.
* Source: Naij.com