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Tag: ’ unpaid allowances

  • INEC ad hoc workers protest unpaid allowances

    Ad hocworkers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the general elections in Anambra State have protested their unpaid allowances weeks after the elections.

    The protesters, who stormed the commission’s office in Awka to demand for their entitlements and allowances, were however denied access to the premises by security operatives.

    Their spokesperson, Ikechukwu Mike, said they had complained to the officer in charge of payment who directed them to compile their names and bank details.

    He, however, regretted that they were yet to receive the payment despite complying with the order.

    He said: “Only few of us were paid while many are left empty handed despite the harrowing experiences we passed through during the polls. Some of us worked in distant communities to Awka. Some borrowed money to transport themselves here.

    “When we first reported here, we were directed to the local government areas where we worked, but it became difficult to see the ROs we are supposed to see there. Many of us decided to undertake the risky venture of being part of the exercise because of financial challenges facing us.

    “It is unthinkable that after taking such huge risks, we would be left to our fate. And it appears INEC is not serious about addressing our plight.”

    They appealed to INEC to pay their entitlements as soon as possible.

    The Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Leo Nkedife, urged the protesters to be patient.

    “Their voucher for payment is being processed. They will soon receive their allowances,” he said.

  • Ex-militants urge Fed Govt to settle unpaid allowances

    Some former militants from Ondo State yesterday urged the Federal Government to pay their nine months’ amnesty allowances.

    Leader of the group Mr Ibori Ogailo told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Igbokoda that non-payment of the allowances had subjected them and their families to hardship.

    The spokesman said the former militants had sent several appeals to the government on the issue, adding they resorted to a protest at the Governor’s Office on Monday in Akure, the capital, as a follow-up.

    Ogailo said: “About 100 of us protested to the Governor’s Office but we were dispersed with guns and teargas while some of our members sustained several injuries.

    “They begged us to surrender our guns and ammunitions. But since we did that, peace has been reigning in the state.”

    The spokesman said the government had stopped paying ex-militants their allowances for some months.

    He pleaded the government should revisit the matter.

    But Mr Segun Ajiboye, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who confirmed the protest to NAN, said amnesty was a Federal Government’s scheme.

    He said: “As Nigerians, they are free to stage a peaceful protest and nobody dispersed them with guns or teargas then. The state government even paid their transport fares back to their communities.”

  • Ex-Council Officials to Fayose: Obey Supreme Court, pay our allowances

    Ex-Council Officials to Fayose: Obey Supreme Court, pay our allowances

    Local government officials in Ekiti State who served between 2008 and 2010 on Tuesday took to the streets to protest alleged refusal of Governor Ayo Fayose to obey the Supreme Court order that they be paid the allowances covering the remainder of their tenure.

    The former local government chairmen and councillors who were elected on December 20, 2008, alongside the supervisors and advisers were removed from office on 29th October, 2010 by former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

    The placard-carrying protesters started their demonstration at the gate of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti before moving to other parts of the town. They expressed dismay that since the Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 9 last year, nothing has been done to pay them
    as ordered.

    Some of their placards read: “Ekiti Government Should Respect the Rule of Law,” “Gov Fayose, Pay Our Money,” “No Individual is Bigger than Supreme Court,” “Mr Governor, Stop Dragging Judiciary Judiciary in the Mud,” “ALGON 2008-2010 Challenge Gov Fayose To Pay Our Allowances as Ordered by Supreme Court,” among others.

    One of the protesters, Babalola Adekunle, who served as Special Adviser on Internally Genrated revenue in Oye Local Government, wondered why Fayose is allegedly punishing fellow Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members by refusing to pay them their salaries, allowances
    and emoluments.

    Babalola who disclosed that they resorted to the protest having waited for seven months without any action from the government said some of their colleagues had died while others are finding it difficult to meet up with their responsibilities.

    He said: “We don’t know why Fayose is delaying the payment of our financial entitlements as ordered by the Supreme Court. We are PDP members like Fayose, he should pay us from the N9.6 billion Paris Club Refund cash.”

    Another protester, Clement Omotoyinbo, who served as Councillor in Gbonyin Local Government, advised Fayose to stop what he called “frivolous projects” and pay the former council officials their entitlements as ordered by the apex court.

    Omotoyinbo said: “Fayose should stop these frivolous projects he is executing and pay us our entitlements. It is only a living person that can climb and ride a vehicle on the flyover he is constructing.”

  • Kwara councillors protest unpaid allowances

    Outgoing councillors in Kwara State yesterday marched on major streets of Ilorin, the state capital, to protest their unpaid severance and furniture allowances.

    They took their grievance to the House of Assembly.

    The councillors, who met with Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in Ilorin on Monday, rejected the alleged reduction of their allowance to 50 per cent of their basic salary.

    Chairman of the forum Opeyemi Adeojo, who addressed reporters, said their tenure would expire on November 10, and that each councillor is entitled to about N1.2 million as severance allowance.

    His words: “We earlier said the issue is a family matter and that our governor has a listening ear. We met with the governor but discovered that some people had met with him and tried to mislead him because the governor claimed there’s no severance allowance for us

    “He also said our furniture allowance is 50 per cent of our basic salary as against the 300 per cent which was confirmed by RMAFC. That’s what we are against.

    “The governor had promised to settle us but with another team giving him the wrong information, things will not augur well.

    “That’s why we are talking and we want our governor to hear us; our severance and furniture allowances are statutory. They are both 300 per cent of our basic salary per annum as approved by RMAFC.”

    But Ahmed’s media aide Muideen Akorede said the governor had assured the councillors that once the economic situation in the country improves and the government receives expected revenue inflows, the local government councils would pay the councillors.

    “Governor Ahmed has stressed that current financial challenges in the councils cannot support the bulk payment of all outstanding payments. He emphasised that payments can at best be in instalments, once the revenue situation permits.

    “He is concerned about the salary arrears owed council workers and the political office holders, which he described as an unfortunate situation. But he hopes that the situation will soon be remedied,” Akorede said.

  • OAU workers protest unpaid allowances

    OAU workers protest unpaid allowances

    The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Senate meeting was going on peacefully until some workers stormed the venue, protesting the alleged non-payment of their allowances. The protesters allegedly manhandled some members of the Senate, but the school says there is no cause for alarm, as the issues are being resolved, reports WALE AJETUNMOBI.

    · NASU, SSANU disrupt Senate meeting
    · Management: no cause for alarm

    Barely two months after Prof Anthony Elujoba assumed office as the Acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, the honeymoon between him and the workers seems over. Another crisis has erupted between management and the workers’ unions over unpaid salary arrears and allowances.

    Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), it was learnt,  disrupted the last OAU Senate meeting because of the VC’s alleged failure  to pay the allowances.

    A source said some members of the workers’ union threatened Prof Elujoba’s life, an allegation the NASU chairman, Wole Odewumi, denied.

    The school’s spokesman, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said no one threatened the VC’s life when the meeting was disrupted. He, however, said some of the workers were unruly, adding that they “manhandled” some members of the Senate.

    Prof Elujoba’s appointment as  Acting VC on July 21 was greeted with spontaneous celebrations. Workers and students trooped out in a carnival-like procession round the campus immediately the announcement was made.

    In academic circles, the celebration indicated acceptance of the new OAU helmsman. Elujoba’s appointment came after months of controversy over the selection of a substantive VC, which pitted the university workers against the Governing Council.

    A member of the Senate told CAMPUSLIFE that SSANU and NASU members had initially threatened to deal with the Bursar, Mrs Josephine Akeredolu, during a management meeting held on August 29. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Mrs Akeredolu was sent on compulsory leave for her safety.

    At the meeting, it was gathered, the VC was allegedly forced to sign a document, promising to pay 10 months arrears of the second tranche of earned allowances codenamed “Productivity Allowance”.

    The Acting VC, CAMPSULIFE learnt, told the workers’ unions that paying the allowances from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would violate the Federal Government’s directive, which prohibits higher institutions from disbursing their IGR and investment funds to pay emoluments.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Prof Elujoba explained to the Senate members that the government had not released the second tranche of the earned allowances to the university, saying he had verified from the school’s banks  to know whether the funds had been remitted to pay the allowances.

    The demand for payment of the earned allowances led to a protracted crisis between the unions and the immediate past VC, Prof Bamitale Omole.

    Speaking to our correspondent on telephone, Olanrewaju said: “It is not correct that anybody threatened to attack the VC. That is not the true picture of what transpired at the last Senate meeting. The VC addressed members of the union when some of them became unruly, because they learnt that the Bursar was at the meeting, which I also personally attended.

    “It was the VC that called the unions’ leaders to sort out the salary issues of members of staff school of the university. So, that was the purpose and primary aim of the meeting. The members of the unions came and felt they should raise concern about their earned allowances because of the presence of the Bursar at the meeting.

    “They felt everything would be sorted out there. So, they started singing and chanting. Some of them also believed it was an opportunity for the Bursar to tell the VC where the money of the university is being kept. They held virtually everyone at the meeting hostage, but they did not touch the VC. Some people were manhandled. But, nobody threatened the VC.”

    On the alleged compulsory leave of the Bursar, the spokesman said: “Mrs Akeredolu requested to go on leave because she had some accumulated leave she had not observed. It has nothing to do with threat to her life.”

    At the time of this report, there was palpable fear in the school as  SSANU and NASU vowed not to back down on their demands. For peace to reign, the unions listed four demands that the acting VC must meet.

    The demands included stopping and returning of pension deductions, implementation of two-step salary differential for teaching staff, payment of 15 per cent outstanding salary arrears, and payment of earned allowances, hazard, excess workload and overtime.

    It remained unclear how the management would meet the workers’ demand, but a highly-placed source said Prof Elujoba was considering the payment of the workers’ allowances in violation of the government’s directive if only to allow peace to reign.

    Denying that the unions disrupted the Senate meetings, Odewumi told CAMPUSLIFE on telephone “Who told you we disrupted the Senate meeting? There was nothing like that. The acting VC has set up a task force on the unpaid allowances and we are still working on it. We met with the task force members last Friday and the meeting was postponed to Wednesday (yesterday).

    “If it was not for the Sallah holiday, we would have concluded the meeting last Monday. But, by Friday (tomorrow), everything would be okay. I can confirm to you that there is no crisis in OAU, at least for now.”

    Odewumi also said it was not true that the unions forced the Acting VC to sign a document to pay the earned allowances. “As I said earlier, there is no truth in the rumour. We will not force anyone to pay our lawful allowances. The last meeting we held with the VC went smoothly and I have the report of the meeting,” he said.

  • Oyo lawmakers boycott plenary over unpaid allowances

    Oyo lawmakers boycott plenary over unpaid allowances

    Twenty members of the Oyo State House of Assembly yesterday boycotted plenary to protest their unpaid allowances.

    Only 12, including the Speaker, Michael Adesina Adeyemo, other principal officers and few members were present.

    A source said a message was circulated some days ago to notify the House of the intended boycott but some members declined.

    Some of the absentee-lawmakers were seen in their offices.

    It was also gathered that the move to boycott the plenary was initiated by some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and supported by Labour Party and Accord members.

    But, Segun Olaleye (Ibadan North II) said the governor has ordered the payment of their salaries.

    Fatai Adesina, an Accord member representing Ibadan South East 1, said the boycott was purely about the lawmakers’ welfare.

    He said: “You are all aware we have not been paid our salaries, our furniture allowances, we are yet to receive our official vehicles and we don’t want it to be as if these are the main reasons why we are here.We are here to serve the people.

    “The boycott is a subtle way of passing a message to the governor.

    “In August we used bailout funds to pay salaries and outstanding salaries, are we expecting another bailout?

    “The governor has been travelling abroad at will. As I mentioned in the House last week, we had a governor who never travelled out during his tenure.

    “We have another governor who did not travel more than 120 times during his tenure.

    “We cannot count the number of times the governor has travelled out of the country.

    “He needs to assess the situation. We can’t hide under the fact that the economy is bad and we will not be doing what is expected of us.”

    The House honoured nine-year-old Miss Morufat Olawale, a pupil of ADS Primary School, Fiditi, Oyo, who emerged first in the Mathematics Olympia competition organised by the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN).

  • Soldiers’ unpaid allowances

    Soldiers’ unpaid allowances

    •We want to know the true position of the money because we don’t want a repeat of the 2008 scenario

    After the experience of the 28 soldiers, who on July 4, 2008 protested non-payment of their foreign mission allowances by blocking Ondo-Akure Road for several hours, we would have thought that would be the last time we would be witnessing such incident. It ended up in a celebrated case that attracted the attention of Nigerians to the plight of the soldiers. Unfortunately, more than five years after, we are back to square one, with another batch of soldiers on foreign mission accusing the military authorities of the same infraction.

    This time, about 800 soldiers under the Nigerian Army Battalion from Zuru, Kebbi State, that participated in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan last year are unhappy over the delay in releasing their allowances. They say their compulsory savings for five of the six months they spent in Sudan are missing. “We were entitled to N180,000 equivalent of Nigeria’s currency; out of which they gave us one hundred dollars, which is about N17,000. The authorities were supposed to keep the rest N163,000 in a compulsory account for us. But when we went to the bank, we realised that they had paid only one month, out of six that were spent there,” a source said.

    We do not know what informed the idea of the compulsory savings for the soldiers. But it would seem to us a well-meaning initiative to ensure that they do not embark on a spending spree during their assignment so that they could have something to fall back on after. Unfortunately, the impression is being created that it could have become another avenue for corrupt enrichment. According to the soldiers, the money had been paid by the UN even before they left the country. If this is true, then it contradicts what the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade said. “The money is not missing; they should have patience. The authorities are working round the clock to secure the funds from the appropriate quarters and the relevant agencies and sponsors of the mission”, Olukolade was quoted as saying.

    Now, who are the “appropriate quarters and the relevant agencies” that Gen. Olukolade is talking about? Has the UN paid the money into the appropriate agency’s account in Nigeria? We need to know. If the money had been fully released to the appropriate agency in Nigeria, why were the accounts of the soldiers only credited with one month allowance?

    What is involved is hefty; with each soldier being owed about N163,000 monthly, the amount for the five months is said to be about N652m for all of them. We are concerned for two reasons: one, we know that in many government establishments, workers’ salaries are appropriated by some top executives who place such monies in fixed accounts, with a view to creaming off the interest, which is usually substantial. This is the reason why salaries are delayed in many government establishments. We hope this is not the case with the soldiers’ allowances.

    Second, the labourer is entitled to his wage, and promptly too. It is dangerous to deny people who are trained to handle arms and ammunition their legitimate entitlements. We saw the embarrassment that only 28 soldiers caused the entire military establishment in the 2008 incident. We can only imagine what the situation would be like if about 800 of them now protest over unpaid entitlements. We don’t want a repeat of such a protest which would make the military authorities accuse the soldiers of mutiny again, without addressing the cause. The Nigerian Army owes Nigerians more explanation on the matter; we want to know what exactly the situation is and where specifically the money is hanging. Fair is fair.