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Tag: salaries

  • Candidate to pay Ovia students bursary from salaries, allowances

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Ovia Federal constituency seat in the House of Representatives, Mr. Dennis Idahosa, has promised to pay students bursary from his salaries and allowances.

    Idahosa said he used his salary as a Commissioner of Investment under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to pay indigent students tuition fees and provide soft loan to market women in Ovia.

    He made the promise while having interactive session with students from drawn from the University of Benin, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State Polytechnic, Usen. Tayo Akpata University of Education, College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).

    All the institutions are located in Ovia North East and Ovia South West local government areas.

    Idahosa said he would not renege on his promises to effectively represent their interest as a Federal lawmaker.

    He stated that a certain family placed Ovia constituency in its pocket without any meaningful development.

    The APC candidate said he would collate a data base of the unemployed and match same with job opportunities that may arise.

    According to him, “I will do things differently. I will work for the youths and the students. I was not born into a rich family and the condition I grew up made me commit myself to helping the poor.

    “I will not change my attitude towards the poor. I will give grants to students and assist them with bursary. I will work with the State and federal government to attract development to all parts of the constituency.

    “I am not here to tell you stories, I have been told by God to come liberate my people. I am not contesting for an executive position, but mine is to work with the three tiers of Government to impact on the lives of the people of the constituency.

    “Some certain family have placed the federal constituency in their pockets and have failed to impact meaningfully to the development of the area. I, with your support, have come to liberate the constituency from this family,” he said.

    The students said they have made up their mind to vote out Barr. Omosede Igbinedion over what they termed “failure to effectively represent their interest” as a lawmaker.

    They said Omosede elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) neglected her constituents since her election in 2015, and failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the students and youths of her constituent.

    Spokesman for the students, Oviafabor Armstrong, said the decision to work, mobilise and vote for Idahosa was borne out of the fact that he has been consistent with support for the students’ and youths, even without being a lawmaker.

    “Being a youths herself and her background, we thought she understands our plight, but we were wrong as she went to sleep soon after her election.

    “She did not only failed to impact in the development of the Federal Constituency by way of attracting people oriented projects to the area, she has also failed to represent our yearnings and aspirations as student’s’ and youths.

    “As you may be aware, the constituency probably has the largest concentration of Higher Institutions in Nigeria, with no fewer than five higher institutions, we have the number to decide who our representative is,” he stated.

     

  • BudgIT’s survey on salaries, pensions vindicates Akwa Ibom govt 

    Akwa Ibom Youth League has commended Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel for his efforts in addressing the interest of civil servants.

    The group spoke against the background of the survey of state governments by Non-Governmental Organisation BudgIT, which listed states owing workers salaries and pensioners’ entitlements.

    Akwa Ibom is not on the list of debtor-states.

    The group urged the governor not to rest on his oars, charging him to continue to clear gratuities of civil servants that were left unpaid by the former administration.

    “The BudgIT survey goes a long way to further authenticate the claims of the state government on its commitment to workers’ welfare.

    “Yes, we are not unaware of the difficult challenge that the state government has faced especiallyas regards the Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs) entered into by the preceding administration.

    “We note that despite the challenges that Governor Emmanuel faces, “The fact that no worker or pensioner is owed in Akwa Ibom State as authenticated by the BudgIT survey helps to clarify the lies been made by some political figures to confuse the people

    “It is gratifying that BudgIT has clarified the issue and we call on our politicians to desist from telling lies about workers welfare and rather focus on other topical issues that would help to raise the standard of governance in the state.”

  • Despite N1.8tr bailout, 17 states owe pensions, salaries

    Seventeen states are owing pensioners entitlements ranging from one month to 36 months, a survey by BudgIT Foundation has shown.

    The states include Delta, Imo, Abia, Osun, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Ekiti.

    This is despite the Federal Government’s bailout of N1.8 trillion released to states to clear their outstanding liabilities.

    BudgIT in a statement signed by Ayomide Faleye further disclosed that 12 states were yet to fully offset the amount owed secondary school teachers, while midwives were also being owed.

    Many of the states, the survey reported, warned the workers to keep the information from the public.

    According to BudgIT, almost all pensioners expressed their dissatisfaction with their state governments.

    The pensioners also expressed how hard it had been for them to survive despite their years of service.

    BudgIT has, however, asked the affected states to offset the debts.

    The group said: “BudgIT, worried that some states are yet to fully offset the outstanding amount owed pensioners and civil servants despite series of bailouts aimed at offsetting the liabilities, recently conducted a survey. The survey aimed at ascertaining the frequency and magnitude of challenges civil servants and pensioners encounter. The survey focused on three different categories of workers in all 36 states namely: primary and secondary school teachers, state midwives and state secretariat workers. Also, attention was paid to ascertain if retirees at the state level are receiving pensions as at when due.

    “From the survey carried out, we discovered that 12 states are yet to offset the amount owed secondary school teachers fully and many states are threatening workers to keep the information away from public domain. Notable among states with outstanding liabilities to secondary teachers are Osun and Kogi states. Osun State has been paying secondary school teachers above level 8 only a fraction of their salaries and entitlements for the last 30 months. Cumulatively, Osun State is owing secondary school teachers above level 8 about 15 months salaries. Other states with outstanding liabilities include Abia, Benue, Bayelsa, Kwara, Imo, Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo and Zamfara. Kogi State, for instance, is owing teachers about 13 months’ salaries, according to the response given by secondary school teachers during the survey.

    “Midwives, whose responsibility include attending to issues around pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, women’s sexual and reproductive health and newborn care, are also bugged down by issues, such as  failure of some states to pay salaries and emoluments as at when due. Midwives were questioned during the survey across the 36 states. BudgIT discovered that 10 states are owing midwives salaries as at close of business on September 24, 2018.”

  • Strike may affect workers’ salaries, warns AGF

    The continued labour unrest in the country could deny workers their salaries, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, has warned.

    A statement by Ifeanyi Okereke, For: Head of Press and Public Relations (OAGF), Ahmed Idris, said  the payment of salaries cannot be achieved in an atmosphere where the critical stakeholders are not allowed access to their offices.”

    The AGF said: “Salary payment involves a number of processes that do not begin and end with the OAGF. There are other critical stakeholders  like the Cash Management Department in the Ministry of Finance and others that are supposed to do their beat before we can finalise.

    “We have a standing order from Mr. President to pay workers salaries from the 25th of every month, which we have striven hard to fulfill to Nigerian workers  and this month will not be an exception,” Idris stated. t  He said on coming to the office ysterday, “we met the gates of the office locked and wondered how we can keep this promise if we are being locked out of the office.

    “After speaking with the local arm of the Labour in the office on the need to pay salaries, they conceded to allow me and some of my staff in, but the Gates are still locked. I therefore appeal to labour to open our gates so that we can have unhindered access to meet their needs”.

    The AGF appealed to the National Leadership of Labour to reconsider their stand on the on-going strike  saying that the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari more than ever has demonstrated high commitment towards meeting the welfare of the Nigerian Workers.

    Idris urged Labour to trust President Muhammadu Buhari “and return to the path of discussion, and negotiation, as the President has demonstrated enough commitment by setting up the tripartite committee.  The  committee which is headed by Ms. Amal Pepple is saddled with the responsibility of consulting widely with stakeholders with a view to coming up with a realistic and acceptable minimum wage.”

  • NLC gives candidates ultimatum on salaries

    The Ekiti State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged candidates vying for the governorship seat to prepare to pay all salary arrears within three months of inauguration.

    The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Ade Adesanmi, made the declaration on yesterday during an interactive session with the candidate of Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN), Chief Adebisi Omoyeni.

    He said the condition of workers in the state having months salaries arreas was deplorable.

    Adesanmi stressed that the workers would only support candidate who takes their welfare  as priority.

    Adesanmi said the entire labour force in the state would mobilize against any government after three months of inception, if such government failed to clear the eight months salaries currently being owed the workers in the state.

    He added that the NLC had started series of interface with governorship candidates ahead of the July 14 election, presenting the body’s position paper to them.

    Adesanmi said: “We are giving whoever wins the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State three months after inauguration to pay the outstanding salaries or we will rise against such government. Let it be cleared now.

    “The current state of workers now where we are being owed between five to eight months of salaries is worrisome and we are determined to put a stop to it, we can’t continue like this.

    “We have been telling all candidates our position and let it be on record that, after three months we want our arrears to be cleared otherwise we will mobilize against such government.”

    He explained that the position paper of the union which was prepared by team of experts and professionals cut across major areas of governance such as health, education, agriculture, public service, and private sector.

    The NLC chairman stressed that the incoming government would be given six months to implement the position paper in the interest of the state, saying that workers would not hesitate to stand against such government who failed to consider the document.

    Omoyeni assured labour leaders that his government would make the welfare of workers a top priority.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Akeredolu: salaries, allowances consume 90 per cent of state’s income

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) yesterday lamented a situation where 90 per cent of the N5 billion monthly allocations of the state were spent on salaries, allowances, gratuities and pensions.

    He said it would be difficult to meet other obligations, such as employment of primary school teachers, building of roads, classrooms and other infrastructural projects.

    The governor spoke at Owode-Obaile in Akure North Local Government during the inauguration of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) ultra-modern resort, constructed by the Ondo State leadership of the union.

    He hailed NULGE President Dr. Olubunmi Eniayewu and his team for initiating projects that impacted on local government workers.

    Akeredolu said his administration released N200 million regularly to offset backlog of gratuities and give car loans to workers.

    The governor, justifying his statement on his administration’s inability to pay workers’ leave allowances until the state is buoyant, which caused protest at the May Day celebration in Akure on Tuesday, said it was the right of every Nigerian to protest or disagree with government’s decision.

    He said he would act in the interest of the state.

    Akeredolu said: “We earn about N5 billion every month, N4 billion goes for salaries and allowances. How do we address shortage of teachers in primary schools? How do we build classrooms? How do we provide transformers for communities without electricity? The majority want their roads built. The present state is depressing.

    “It is unfortunate that some people now refer to our state as a civil service enclave where governance has been reduced to payment of salaries, allowances, grants and subventions.”

    He added: “So, you can shout, you can protest. It is your right, you can remain in the sun for days, but I will not change my style in the interest of the majority. We are paying salaries regularly, workers must not be selfish, allow us to take care of others.”

    The governor said of over six million people, workers constituted only two per cent, stressing that it would be unreasonable to spend monthly allocation on workers at the expense of others.

    Eniayewu said the recreational facilities would facilitate training and retraining of workers through seminars and entrepreneurial skills acquisition.

    The union leader, who hailed Akeredolu for promotion of his members, enjoined the government to approve the promotion of local government workers, who had been due since January.

  • TUC to members: vote out governors owing salaries, pensions

    THE Trade Union Congress (TUC) yesterday asked its members to vote out governors still owing workers’ salaries and pensions.

    It urged workers, pensioners and their families to take opportunity of the ongoing continuous voters’ registration to obtain their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs).

    The union said the PVCs will be their weapons to vote out non-performing governors and anti-workers political leaders in the forthcoming elections.

    The congress, in a statement signed by its president, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Secretary General, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, said it was a thing of shame that the governors could not fulfill their primary obligation of paying salaries and pension of workers after collecting large sums of money as assistance from the Federal Government.

    Vice President Yomi Osinbajo was quoted as saying that the Federal Government gave out about N1.9 trillion to the states as their share of the Paris Club loan refund, which the states were supposed to use for the payment of salaries and pension among others.

    The TUC said it was unfair and inhuman for governors, after sharing a total of N1.9trillion and Budget Support Facilities since the inception of the present administration to fail to meet their obligations.

    It lamented that instead of paying workers, governors are busy buying properties all over the world.

    “One wonders how they (governors) sleep at night while the people they govern go to bed hungry, sick and have their wards out of school,” it said.

    Hailing Osinbajo and the Senator representing Kaduna State Central Shehu Sani for their recent revelations on monies released to state governments and a fraction of the take home of senators, the Congress said the Nigerian people and the international community are now abreast of how politicians and their cronies rape the nation’s national patrimony while the masses live in abject poverty.

    It said: “For us, this revelation is an eye-opener and we are going to mobilise members throughout the country to ensure that defaulting governors seeking re-election and even those who have served out their second term but want to impose a stooge will not be allowed to emerge, but face perdition come 2019.

    “Position of leadership requires deep thinking and a lot of creativity. The managerial skill of a leader shows when he or she is faced with challenges like what we have in most states presently. A lot of governors are not thinking out of the box simply because they know federal allocation is certain. They are not even paying deductions from workers’ salaries in some cases for up to six, seven and eight months. They only pay net, not gross, yet they claim to be conscientious leaders.

    “The world over, salaries are on first line charge. But in Nigeria, we have a reversal of best practices. All workers, pensioners and all the deprived groups are hereby advised to possess their PVCs and together we shall boot out irresponsibility from our system.”

  • 35 states owe workers’ salaries, says TUC

    35 states owe workers’ salaries, says TUC

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has raised the alarm that the number of states owing workers’ wages has increased to 35.

    Its President, Bobboi Kaigama, who made this known to reporters after the congress’ National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos, said only Lagos State was up-to-date on salary payment and other benefits.

    It warned state governments against diverting money meant for workers’ salaries and other benefits into electioneering expenditure.

    Kaigama said, with the exception of Lagos, every other state in Nigeria owed one form of benefit or the other, including salaries, despite the Federal Government’s bailout and Paris Club refunds.

    He said: “We want to say without fear of contradiction that the only healthy state in this country that has no arrears of salaries and other wages or unpaid benefits is Lagos State. All the other states have one issue or the other in terms of salaries, wages or benefits of their workers that have not been paid. There is no exception.

    “You will find out that, if it is not one month’s salary that is not paid, it would be 13 months of gratuities or pensions that have not been paid. Or that contributory pension deductions are not being remitted or that there are certain promotion arrears and death benefits that have not been paid. So, I am telling you, taking this issue holistically, we can only say Lagos State is the only healthy state in this country.”

    The TUC leader added: “We keep saying that, if state governors cannot meet their obligations to their workers, they should just resign and leave the stage. We have continued to argue that, apart from the first generation states that were created by the military, there is no state that was created thereafter that did not have its submission that the state had the capacity to pay the wages of the workers in the state and other things. Ours is that probably those who are saying that we should go back to regional government are not misplaced because the trust we have in state government has been eroded. So, if it is just for the purposes of payment of salaries, no other developmental issues like infrastructure, health facilities, roads, rails transportation and so on, we are better off with regional government.

    On the ability of states owing the existing N18,000 minimum wage to pay a new minimum wage expected to be higher than the present one, Kaigama said it was corruption that made governors to owe workers.

  • NLC to governors: use Paris Club refund to pay salaries

    NLC to governors: use Paris Club refund to pay salaries

    The Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) has asked state governors to prioritise their activities and ensure that they use Paris Club refund to pay workers’ salaries and pension.

    President of Congress, Comrade Abubakar Wabba told The Nation that governors, who have refused to pay salaries and pension were not doing so because of the lack of money, but because they have not considered the payment of salaries as a priority.

    He urged workers to ensure that such governors are voted out during the next election.

    Wabba said: “Most of the governors have abuse the trust of the President Muhammadu Buhari, especially those that are not paying. They will go begging that once the money is released, they will use it to pay salaries. This is about the third episode.

    “The Chairman of the Governors Forum once made a promise publicly that they were going to use the money to pay salaries. Even in his own state, he did not use the money to address Labour issues. So, we are tired of this whole deceit of going to beg the President because they know he is passionate about workers and pensioners.

    “They will get money and come back to do something different. In states where they are not paying salaries and pension, you have seen what is happening with the rate of crime on the increase and people dying from starvation and frustration, while kidnapping is on the increase.”

    Wabba said the governors should know that it is in their own interest to pay workers and pensioners their entitlements.

    He noted that social consequence of not paying is glaring in those states because of the rise in criminal activities there.

    The NLC President said: “Our position usually is that they should prioritise the payment of workers and pensioners entitlement because there is no way you can have peace and development if workers entitlements are not being paid. It is arising from that that the President has continually told them to go and settle these liabilities.

    “We hope that with the little commitment they have made, it will work out this time around. If they pay, fine, but if they don’t pay, they should also know that they will not receive the support of the workers and pensioners. Right now, there are about nine states that are in this situation and we use this medium to thank those governors that are paying as and when due.

    “If they don’t pay, we have said it over and over again that workers should vote them out. They should know that if they don’t pay, the workers will not support them and if they pay, the workers will be happy and support them. That is the position we have taken long before now and that position has not changed.

    “For governors that have done well, we have asked workers to go and support them. It is actually in their own interest to settle all categories of workers so that workers can support them and also be very productive.”

  • Council boss lauds Ugwuanyi on payment of salaries, pensions

    Council boss lauds Ugwuanyi on payment of salaries, pensions

    THE Transition Committee Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area in Enugu State, Hon. John Ezeh, has applauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for the recent verdict by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), which listed Enugu as one of the few states in the country that are up-to-date in payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.

    The committee chairman said that the verdict demonstrated the governor’s visionary and innovative approach to governance borne out of his commitment to the welfare of the workers and the need to reactivate the state’s economy for the common good of the people of the state. Reacting to the verdict, Hon. Eze said Governor Ugwuanyi deserves a wide commendation for his accountability, fiscal discipline and dexterity in managing the lean resources of the state, which he said made it possible for his administration to be up-to-date in payment of workers’ salaries and still execute numerous massive development projects.

    “Your Excellency, this well deserved verdict by NULGE did not come as a surprise. This is because your well detailed and people-oriented programmes anchored on infrastructural development, good governance, economic growth, empowerment, urbanisation, rural expansion, entrepreneurship, etc, speak volume and clearly show that governance in Enugu State hasn’t only been seamless but very pragmatic, robust and progressive. “We are therefore not in doubt of where we will be tomorrow. In our noble state, you have instituted a most dynamic and purposeful leadership, creating the Enugu State of our dreams; the Enugu State we crave and the Enugu State we deserve,” the chairman said.