• Want S’Court ruling on LG autonomy implemented

Borno, Gombe and Kaduna states are not paying minimum wage to council workers, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has alleged.

Speaking after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, its President General, Aliyu Kankara, added that apart from the trio, who are not paying at all, many still run with the old N30,000 wage, while a few others implement the new N70,000 wage unsatisfactorily.

He said: “Among states that are not paying national minimum wage for local government workers are Kaduna, Gombe and Borno states. In fact, our members in Kaduna State have issued an ultimatum to go on strike if the new wage is not implemented. There are a few states that are implementing, but not to our satisfaction. They are paying less than N70,000, but still better than those who are not paying.”

NULGE noted that the non-payment of minimum wage is callous and unfair to its members, who are crucial to the development of the third tier of government, especially during the economically challenging times.

However, the NEC-in-Session commended state governments that have implemented the new wage, even when some have only made partial adjustments. It added: We urge these governments to further review and improve their wage structures to ensure fair compensation for local government workers.”

Kankara, who described the withheld Osun council allocations as ‘political’, lauded the state government for paying the new wage despite paucity of funds.He appealed to the Federal Government to release the funds to allow for the smooth running of local councils in Osun State.

The NULGE boss continued: “By our understanding, the Osun crisis is purely political. Despite this, I must appreciate the Governor of Osun State for paying the wages of our members. NEC-in-Session strongly condemns the seizure of Osun State Local Government allocation, which has had grave consequences on the livelihoods of the people of Osun State, distorted development and growth plans, and crippled the effective and efficient functioning of the Local Government system. NEC, therefore, calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently intervene in the Osun State political crisis and ensure the immediate restoration of the seized allocations, in the interest of peace, justice, and sustainable development.”

He stated that despite the widely publicised Supreme Court’s judgement on local government autonomy, no council area is receiving its funds directly from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

“I can confirm that there is no local government council that is receiving its allocation directly from FAAC. The Supreme Court judgment on the issue has not been implemented so far. NEC-in-Session has appealed to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, for the implementation of the Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria as delivered by the Supreme Court over a year ago,” Kankara stated.