NULGE dares Ogun on bailout spending pattern

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ogun State chapter has challenged the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration to publish ‎how it expended the bailout fund accessed from the Federal Government.

The union also restated its earlier position that the government failed to settle the outstanding arrears of salaries and deductions of local government workers with the bailout fund.

The government and NULGE leadership have been quarreling over an alleged diversion of N9.1billion bailout fund meant to pay salary arrears of government employees, including that of the 20 councils.
insisting that its employees benefitted from the amount in terms of payment of “outstanding arrears, salaries and deductions”.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Taiwo Adeoluwa held separate meetings with the Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA)‎ and the NULGE leadership last week, where the government was said to have explained But Olatunji, in the statement “challenged” the government to publish in details how the loan was spent “for public consumption”.

The union president described as “mere government propaganda, face-saving and cover-up” the alleged directive to HOLGA to write a communique to diffuse the claim of NULGE leadership on the bailout fund.

He said, “At the end of the meeting, the government submitted that the bailout fund was used to pay salaries, allowances/leave bonus of primary school teachers between July – September, 2015, ditto for local government staff (excluding leave bonus/other allowances).

“This is apart from paying the primary school teachers as well as other civil servants in the state part of their outstanding arrears of salaries and deductions for which the bailout fund is meant for without consideration for the outstandings of local government workers.

“The union frowned at this presentation while it raised question on how the federal allocation to local government within the periods July – September, 2015 were spent because it was not captured in their presentation at the meeting.

“As a result, the union still reiterates its earlier position that the bailout fund was not extended to service the outstanding arrears of salaries/deductions of local government workers as claimed by the state government.‎”