TheNewsGuru

Tag: NULGE

  • Tears as Osun NULGE chairman dies in midnight fire

    There was pandemonium in Osun State on Thursday as the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees in Ayedaade Local Government Area, Mr. Tajudeen Alabi, died in a fire that ravaged his home around 1 am on Thursday.

    It was gathered that the NULGE chairman was burnt to death in his sleep when fire gutted some shops located close to his residence. The fire was said to have spread to his residence and he was affected.

    It was not clear if there were other casualties in the inferno but a resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that the wife of the deceased and other members of the family were not at home when the incident happened.

    The source said some of the neighbours of the deceased blamed the fire incident on a power surge. He added that they told sympathisers, who thronged the residence of the NULGE chairman that the fire started at around 1am and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

    He said, “I learnt that the fire started from some shops located close to his house. The fire was said to have started around 1am as a result of power surge but some of the people said it was a mysterious fire.

    “They said they heard screaming but it was too late before they could get to the place.”

    The Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun State, Mr. Tunde Adekomi, could not be reached on the telephone despite efforts made by our correspondent.

    However, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Babawale Afolabi, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.

    He said, “I was told by our officer in the local government area that the incident happened and the man died in the inferno.”

  • Delta state local government employees appeal Gov. Okowa for exclusive salaries funds

    Delta state local government employees appeal Gov. Okowa for exclusive salaries funds

    Local government employees in Delta state have raised a special appeal to the state Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for funds that would be devoted exclusively to the payment of salaries in the state.

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in the State made the appeal after the Governor commenced the offset of payment of salary arrears, in lieu of which he approved the release of over N800 million.

    The State government had in a statement signed by its Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ukah, said the State is not owing its workers salaries, stressing that it has paid all workers to date and that it has also consistently given financial support to the Local Government Councils to enable the payment of salaries of workers.

    However, at a campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the forthcoming local government elections at Oleh, Isoko South and Ozoro, Isoko North local government areas of the state, Gov. Okowa made a promise that with the State’s rising revenue profile, his administration will assist local government councils to lessen salary burden.

    TheNewsGuru reports, not too long, therefore, Gov. Okowa approved the release of over N800 million to offset payment of local government workers salary arrears in the State.

    In a communiqué issued by the State Executive Council (SEC) of NULGE and signed by its Secretary, Comrade Peter Ene, the union applauded Governor Okowa for stepping in to ensure local government workers salaries are paid.

    The communiqué, which was issued after the meeting of the SEC of the union, expressed appreciation to the governor for the approval and release of more than N800 million to facilitate the gradual payment of outstanding salaries accrued from 2015 to 2017.

    The union, while calling on the governor not to relent in his determination to clear all outstanding salary arrears as well as satisfy the desires of council workers in the state, despite dwindling revenue accruing to the state, urged him to see the project as a divine call and assignment that should be driven to a logical conclusion.

    “In this direction, it is our humble plea that His Excellency, just as he has done, should continue to avail us some funds that would be devoted exclusively to the payment of salary areas.

    “We are, however, not oblivious of the enormous sacrifices Your Excellency would be making in this regard, but we do hope that the smiles on the faces of local government workers would suffice to gladden the heart of His Excellency,” the communiqué, made available to TheNewsGuru, read.

     

  • Bayelsa, Kogi, Delta, 23 others owing workers 16 months salary arrears – NULGE

    …Commends Lagos, Anambra, Kano, Cross River, 10 other states for prompt payment of workers’ salaries

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said that 23 states of the federation currently owed local government workers’ arrears of salary ranging from one to 16 months.

    National President of the union, Ibrahim Khaleel stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

    According to Kaheel, Bayelsa state was leading in indebtedness to local council workers with between 10 to 16 months, followed by Kogi between seven to 15 months; Delta State eight to 14 months.

    “Kaduna 12 months; Oyo three to 11 months; Edo 10 months; Abia five to nine months; Kwara two to nine months; Benue nine months and Nasarawa seven months.

    “Ondo, Ekiti, Imo with six months; Zanfara have not implementing minimum wage, Adamawa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Plateau owing four months, Taraba and FCT three months.

    “While Osun state has been paying half salaries for 24 months and few staff were owed few months in Enugu,” he said.

    The union noted that Ekiti has refused to remit union dues for the past nine months and Ogun has not also remitted its deduction for seven months.

    The national president also said that 700 staff members were owed between one to three months in Cross River State.

    He 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.

    He said that failure to do so, the union would be forced to mobilised and shut down all local government councils in the country.

    Khaleel called on the state governors not to divert or tamper with the second tranche of Paris Club Loan refund but use it to offset the entitlement of the workers.

    He, however, said the union was aware that some state governors were already claiming that the amount released was not in conformity with the published figure.

    “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 2nd Tranche of Paris club loan refund to clear the backlog arrears of outstanding salaries.

    “This is in order to ameliorate the untold hardship they are currently passing through due to this ugly situation,” 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.

    Khaleed commended the 14 states including Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Cross River, Niger and Anambra that were up to day in the entitlement of local government workers.

     

     

    NAN