TheNewsGuru

Tag: Salaries

  • Bello has a right to build mansions despite owing salaries, pensions – Aide

    The Director General on Media and Publicity to the Kogi State Governor, Kingsley Fanwo has said his principal, Governor Yahaya Bello did not violate any law for building a multi-million naira house in his native home town, Okene despite owing workers and pensioners their monthly entitlements.

    Recall that there was wide outrage against the governor’s decision to erect a sprawling edifice in his hometown at the expense of workers and pensioners who have been unpaid for months in the state.

    Fanwo who spoke while addressing journalists in Kaduna on Saturday referred to those agitating against the governor’s mansion as “a confused community of crumbling critics”.

    In his words: “ I didn’t say anything because they are a confused community of crumbling critics who have lost focus and direction.

    “They know the Governor was a successful businessman before his foray into politics. There is no correlation between the salary payment situation in the state and the Governor’s recently completed house at Okene.

    “We have spoken severally about the salary situation in the state. We have paid genuine workers up to July 2017 and we are working on the arrears. It is also true that those who were recently pardoned and returned to the payrolls are being owed more number of months.

    “We will pay what our Paris Club refund and allocations can pay to make the Yuletide an enjoyable one for our civil servants. They deserve their pay after all their contributions to the development of the state,” he said.

    Mr. Fanwo said the Kogi State government will continue to strengthen its relationship with the organised labour, insisting that comparison of the state with oil producing and highly viable states was unfair.

    “Anambra State was governed by a forward-thinking Governor who left a fortune for the incumbent. The present administration in Kogi inherited debts and unproductive loans. The Governor is working hard to build institutions that can sustain the gains of his reforms in the civil service,” he said.

  • [Photos] Despite owing salaries, Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi unveils palatial mansion

    While workers, pensioners Kogi State are languishing in the plentitude of sufferings as a result of emoluments owed them for long months, the story is different for Governor Yahaya Bello, who administers the state.

    Unperturbed by the many criticisms that beleaguer his administration, Gov Bello unveiled a palatial mansion for himself on Mahmoud Atta street, GRA Okene.

    Recall that whuile the house was under construction in August, some residents of the exclusive residential area complained that the governor converted the street entrance to his private gate.

    But Bello carried on with the project, at the time, Kingsley Fanwo, spokesman of the governor, said his principal had made a better provision for the affected residents.

    Among top dignitaries who were present at the occasion include Abdul Rahman Ado Ibrahim, Ohinoyi of Ebira land, joined the governor during the house-warming ceremony.

    See photos of the mansion…

     

  • Delay in Ekiti workers’ salaries not caused by arrest of Fayose’s commissioners – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said the arrest of the Commissioner of Finance, Toyin Ojo and Accountant General, Mrs. Yemisi Owolabi, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was not the cause of the delay in the payment of workers’ salaries.

    The party described the claim by the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Odunayo Adesoye, as “another conspiratorial role that some labour leaders have been playing to sabotage the interest of their members”.

    In a statement yesterday, Ekiti State APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun expressed regrets that Labour had failed to protect the interests of workers but was ready to defend Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged failure to pay their entitlements.

    Olatunbosun said: “It is common knowledge that a section of the Labour movement has compromised their office in the protection of workers’ interest. But Fayose should not hide under the arrest of the Commissioner for Finance, Toyin Ojo and the Accountant General, Yemisi Owolabi, for non-payment of salary.

    “Ojo is not a signatory to any salary account; there are two other alternate signatories who include the Director of Funds Management.

    “Ekiti people and workers in particular should also note that when the Accountant General was on leave for about three weeks recently, the financial transactions of the state were going on unhindered.

    “Therefore, contrary to TUC’s claim, there is no reason the arrest of the two state officials should be an excuse for non-payment of salaries by the governor, which of course, he has not been paying before their arrest.

    “Fayose has received several billions of naira in the form of bailout and Paris Club refund but has refused to pay workers’ salaries for five months: local government workers for eight months’ and pensioners’ 13 months’ allowance arrears. These include his refusal to pay the severance package of former political office holders after the funds for these purposes were captured in tranches of bailout and Paris Club refund.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the commissioners were recently arrested by operatives of the EFCC over their alleged diversion of the bailout and Paris Club refunds.

     

  • Okorocha, Bello, Dickson, 7 other govs owing workers’ salaries despite FG’s release of Paris Club refund – NLC

    …says 10 defaulting governors must give account of Paris Club refund spendings

    …kicks against increase in electricity tariff

    The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Tuesday made good its intention to name state governors who mismanaged the first and second tranches of the Paris Club refund released to them by the Federal Government.

    The congress also warned the government against approving another increase in electricity tariff, saying it will mobilise its affiliates, social partners and other Nigerians to resist any further increase when Nigerians were yet to get a good service foe the previous increase, which has been declared illegal by the court.

    This was revealed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba.

    Wabba who spoke at the National Executive Council meeting of the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) in Abuja, said six of the 10 states were in a terrible situation, pointing out that the congress had directed all states chapters whose members are owed more than three months salaries to declare an industrial action.

    In his words: “Out of the 36 states, we have 10 bad case scenario and out of this 10, we have six terrible ones. We have promised to name and shame them. Those states include Imo that has been paying workers salaries in percentage and has not declared utilisation of the bail out fund and Paris Club refund. It is part of the states that ICPC has mentioned in fund diversion.

    “They paid 40 percent pension to their pensioners without their consent and provided a form for them to sign under duress. That is not allowed in law. We have Bayelsa, which has between five to 10 months arrears. Ondo is owing between four and six, Ekiti (five to eight), Benue (five to eight) and Kogi, which is the worst case scenario.

    “We have three categories of workers in Kogi. We have 40 per cent that are being paid up to date, we have 25 per cent that has not been paid between eight and 16 months and another 25 per cent that has not been paid between eight and 21 months. In all, the sectors, they have categorised the workers into three categories.

    “We also have the case of Osun which is also paying in percentage, but is up to date. Ebonyi, unilaterally, without discussion with the union tried to reduce the salaries by certain percentage and have also not made available records of utilisation of the Paris Club refund.

    “We have the case of Zamfara, which is the only state that has not implemented the minimum wage and all attempt (including agreements they have signed) to get them to make available records of utilisation of those funds have failed. The last one is, Abia which has a problem with the parastatals. On the average, other states are above board.

    The NLC chief went on: “As I speak to you, both Zamfara and Benue are on strike and I am aware that Kogi has issued a notice, which is in conformity with the decision we took at our last NEC meeting that any state with liability of more than three months should start an action and we will be there to support them.”

    Speaking on the statement credited to the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Power that one of the problem in the power sector was low electricity tariff, Wabba said workers will not accept any further increase in tariff.

    He said: “A few days ago, I received a letter from the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission informing us that they want to hold town hall meetings where they want consumers and other stakeholder to contribute. What immediately came to my mind is an attempt again to increase tariff when we have not been able to get out of the one they illegally increased by 45 percent.

    “The twin issue of fuel price increase and electricity tariff has made nonsense of the minimum wage. We have not been able to justify that 45 percent increase, but now, they are coming again. Let me say emphatically that NLC as an organisation and all our affiliates will resist any attempt to increase the electricity tariff again.

    “We have gone to court to challenge their action and the court made pronouncement that the process they followed to effect the last increase was illegal and, therefore, set it aside. Here we are; even to respect that court order has become a problem. We must continue to respect the rule of law. We are still on that issue because no court of law has set aside that judgement.

    “Let us warn those people again because, for them, they must continue to feast on us. If this happens, it means more industries will close and it also means more darkness because the more they increase the tariff, the more darkness we have and more burden on the Nigerian worker. Therefore, we must situate our policies within the context of how it can improve the life of ordinary Nigerian.”

    Speaking on the economic challenge facing the nation, Wabba said: “There is no doubt that our country is passing through very difficult challenges and I think those challenges are to strengthen us, give us hope and make us to think more and be able to respond to issues that affect us. Economies do bubble and burst. Therefore we must not be lamenting that we are in recession or getting out of recession.

    “What matters is how do we put food on the table of the ordinary Nigerian; how do we drive our processes to ensure that industries are working? Once industries don’t work and we don’t produce, but continue to import, the situation will continue because there will always be crave for foreign exchange for us to import and because we don’t export anything, that issue will continue.

    “Our focus must be that our economic model is anchored around the people and around the issues of social justice. Once we don’t do that, then the problem will continue. That is why we have continuously engage the process, including options that are going to work.

    “For instance, the issue of taxation. It is only workers today that pay the correct tax while those that have more than enough, including those with stolen funds, don’t pay tax. Why should you continue to overburden the worker that is already paying the correct tax with more taxation?

    “If I am paying correct tax through pay as you earn, if means that I am paying correct tax and to introduce more tax means double jeopardy. If we are able to access the stamp duty alone, we will be able to generate over two trillion naira per annum. These are issues that we need to address. You cannot continue to rob the poor to make sure that the rich continue to live large.”

    Earlier in his address, NASU National President Comrade Chris Ani said the agitation for restructuring and fiscal federalism were attempts to divert attention from misgovernance and ineptitude the nation has been going through, adding that Nigerians should not be distracted by elements that have actively participated in the looting and mismanagement of our economy and can be found in the two major political parties.

    Ani said what workers needed at this point was time is not whether more power should be given to states, but to know how they have managed the power at their disposal.

    Congratulating the government and its officials for bringing the economy out of recession, Ani said the union will only join the celebration when workers’ “welfare improves; jobs are secured; salaries are paid in full as and when due; wage increase is de-frozen and other withheld benefits are paid”.

     

  • FG blasts governors, says “stop blackmailing us over unpaid salaries”

    The Federal Government has advised state governments to desist from blackmailing it over unpaid salaries and allowances of their workers and pensioners.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, gave the advice when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria’s Forum in Abuja.

    He said it was disheartening that some state governments still owed workers their salaries in spite of the bailout and part of Paris Club Refund given to them by the Federal Government.

    Enang said that the governments always misinformed their citizens, especially workers, about the availability of funds to pay salaries and the arrears as well as pensions.

    He stated that the bailouts were given to the states out of concern of the Federal Government for the workers, given the level of outstanding salaries and pensions to them.

    The SSA lamented that in spite of the efforts of the Federal Government in that regard, it was being blamed for the predicament of workers in the states over the accrued salaries.

    “The President is always very positively emotional when it gets to the welfare of workers and other citizens of the country.

    “He has been doing whatever he can to ensure that those who are working get paid by providing the bailout because when the workers get paid, they will generate something that will also affect the unemployed.

    “But, the way some governors have used it has made it very dampening,’’ he said.

    The presidential aide urged people in the states to always ask their governors questions about funds.

    He also called on Houses of Assembly in the states to rise to the occasion by holding the governors accountable.

     

    NAN

  • Sagay fires back at Senate, insists ‘your outrageous salaries, allowances running Nigeria dry’

    The row between the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay and the National Assembly members especially those of the red chambers is not about to end as the embattled chairman insisted that he won’t stop criticizing the NASS members as long as their bogus salaries, allowances are not reviewed.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Sagay was reacting to a statement by the Senate on Thursday, calling him possessed and speaking under influence, said the lawmakers were draining Nigeria dry and the evidence is flying everywhere for all to see.

     

    The PACAC chair insisted that he would not stop criticizing members of the National Assembly for their expenditure, which he said was adversely affecting the economy.

    His words: “I criticize them for the huge amount of money they are taking out of the country.

    “They are creating a situation in which Nigeria does not have enough funds; we have kidnapping, there is Boko Haram, we have militants, armed robbery and so on.

    “That is basically what I said. I spoke the truth. They have wardrobe allowance, in other words, we are the ones buying clothes for them to wear.

    “When they arrived Abuja, were they naked? What is their problem?”

    The legal luminary had lamented that National Assembly allocated N125 billion to themselves alone this year and that while the United States President earns $400,000 per annum, a Nigerian senator earns over $1.7 million.

    Sagay said besides a basic salary of N2.4 million per month, they earn allowances such as hardship (50 percent of basic salary), newspaper allowance (50 percent), wardrobe allowance (25 percent), entertainment (30 percent), recess (10 percent), and leave (10 percent), among others.

    The total allowances, he said, amounts to N29.5 million per month and N3.2 billion per annum.

    “Perhaps the most notorious example of the legislators’ resistance to the war against corruption is the rejection of the right of the executive to choose the persons who will spearhead that struggle,” he added.

    “The clear impression is created that Nigerian legislators are in office for themselves and not for the populace.”

    “Not surprisingly, the National Assembly has not passed a single bill for the promotion of anti-corruption war since it commenced business in July 2015.”

     

  • Why we pay workers half salaries in Kogi State – Gov Bello’s aide

    Why we pay workers half salaries in Kogi State – Gov Bello’s aide

    Kogi State Government has cleared the air why some workers in the state receive half salaries while others were fully paid.

    The Director General, Media and publicity to the State Governor Kingsley Fanwo on his official twitter handle explained that the Governor Yahaya Bello government over the months have been able to pay full salaries through heavy borrowing and funds from the internally generated revenue (IGR).

    He noted that when the government saw the situation on ground, labour was invited for dialogue as continued borrowing to pay salaries will not only be unsustainable but also a let down to the other sectors of the economy begging for attention.

    While emphasizing that it was the responsibility of the government to pay workers their full salaries, Fanwo said their was need for labour to have a blue line of industrial understanding.

    Another reason the government aide raised for the non-payment of salaries by the present administration was the dwindling revenue from the FAC.

    “Kogi State Govt wishes to set the record straight on the disagreement with Labour over payment of salaries before Sallah. We owe members of the public explanations as a responsible government. The State Government was able to pay 100% to all pensioners with arrears because of their social situation. We have also paid 100% to Judiciary workers & all workers in our tertiary institutions. Clearing all subventions too.

    “All other categories, starting from political office holders were paid 50% of their salaries due to the shortfall in allocation and non-payment of the Budget Support Fund from the Federation Account. The non-payment was occasioned by dwindling revenue to the FAC.

    “It would have been insensitive on our part to default paying our highly respected and understanding civil servants on the excuse of having enough funds.

    “We thank them for their understanding and pledge to clear the arrears as soon as funds are available. We need the cooperation of all to achieve economic prosperity for our state and our people. Things would have been worse if we did not act with patriotic firmness to remove unintended beneficiaries from our payrolls as well as ghost names,” Fanwo stated.

  • Dead workers are still collecting salaries in Benue – Gov Ortom

    Dead workers are still collecting salaries in Benue – Gov Ortom

    The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has lamented that dead workers and some others who are supposed to have retired are still collecting salaries in his state.

    He said the sharp practices had increased the state’s wage bill to N7.9bn monthly, which he said was too much for his government to handle.

    Ortom said this in an interview with journalists shortly after attending a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

    The governor said although he was committed to timely payment of workers’ salary, this could not be achieved with the unsustainable wage bill.

    He said his administration had therefore commenced a staff audit that will weed out “ghost workers” from the state’s payroll.

    He expressed the hope that the exercise, which will last three months, would bring sanity to the system.

    Ortom said, “You will recall that I declared a state of emergency on ‎payment of salaries, and I want to have the capacity to pay salaries as and when due because a worker deserves his wages.

    “We discovered that there were so many leakages on our payroll and ghost workers and other infiltration here and there.

    “I think that a wage bill of over N3.2bn is too much at the state level. And when you add pensions and gratuity, you are talking of about N4.2bn. It is too much for Benue State.

    “At the local government, you have a wage bill of N3.7bn. So, if you are talking about N7.9bn for a state, it is not decent enough.

    “Ghost workers, those who were due for retirement are still in the service, those who are dead are still collecting salaries and all that.

    “So, we believe that at the end of the day, we will be able to scale down to a level that we will be able to pay salaries as and when due.”

  • JUST IN: S’Court sacks Senator Danladi, orders him to return salaries, allowances within 90 days

    The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, ordered Sen. Sani Abubakar Danladi, representing Taraba North Senatorial District, to vacate his seat and refund all salaries and allowances he received within 90 days.

    The court also declared Alhaji Shuaibu Isa Lau, as the senator representing Taraba North.

    The order was contained in the judgement of the court on the appeal filed by Lau.

    Both Danladi and Lau are members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Lau had challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal that upturned his victory during the primary elections. He claimed that he was wrongfully substituted.

    The apex court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate issued to Danladi and issue a fresh certificate of return to Lau.

    The apex court in the unanimous judgment of a five-member panel held that the appellant had the right to participate just like any other candidate in the primary election.

    The court added that if Lau felt that his right was infringed upon, he had the right to approach the court.

    “From the totality of the appeal before this court, all the issues are resolved in favour of the appellant.

    “His substitution at the primary election is null and void since the appellant scored the highest number of votes, the only option is to declare the appellant as the winner of the primary election.

    ” This court hereby orders that the appellant be issued with the certificate of return and the respondent should immediately vacate the seat.

    “He should return to the National Assembly, all salaries and allowances received as a senator within 90 days.

  • Pensioners beg FG to pay pension, salaries before Sallah

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, on Tuesday urged Federal and state governments to pay pension and workers salaries before the Sallah festival.

    The union said in statement issued in Abuja by its General Secretary, Mr Actor Zal that the gesture would ease current hardship and allow pensioners and workers celebrate the event without hassle.

    It particularly noted that most pensioners depend solely on their paltry pensions to meet their financial obligations.

    The union lauded the acting President, Prof. Yemi Oshibajo for the recent release of funds for their payment, and urged for similar release of their pension for June.

    It stressed that state governments should also make prompt payment of pensions and salaries a priority especially during festivals.

    The union said that pensioners and workers have spent their little savings observing the Ramadan fast and have little or nothing left to celebrate the Sallah.

    “We believe that this is a listening government and we are sure the government will accede to our request so that our people can have cause to smile during the celebration,” it added.

    (NAN)