By Patriot Dantes Odogwu.
Asaba: In a meeting with Local Government Chairmen and the leadership of NULGE the State Government as a way of helping to find solutions to problem of non payment of salaries of Local government councils workers have agreed to set up a committee to work a salary payment formula between Council workers and Local governments primary school teachers.
Governor Okowa being a compassionate person has consistently maintained that funds going to Local Government councils are not meant for Primary School Teachers alone.
The current situation arose out of the insistence by Primary School Teachers under the aegis of Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT that their salaries must be paid 100 percent regardless of the fate of local government council workers.
Needless to remind us that it is not the statutory responsibility of State Government to pay Local Government council workers, the State Government has often intervened by augmenting.
The meeting which was held in Government House, Asaba on Wednesday, 3rd May, 2017 specifically had both parties resolving to work out modalities for their payments. It becomes worrisome why one side ( workers) want to negate the agreed resolution and thinking of embarking on industrial action just two days after a fruitful meeting on workers welfare and how to move the state forward;
Without doubt, the planned mass protest is a ploy aimed at portraying the State Government in bad light in the eyes of the general public
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is labour-friendly and will continue to make the welfare of workers a top priority. It is wrong therefore for a section of the media to portray him in bad light as a result of the non payment of salaries as if it was his fault.
Governor Okowa clarified on workers day that his administration from inception, has not tampered with allocations to local government councils in the state, assuring that “when our economy improves, we will continue to assist the Councils because, it is unfortunate that our brothers and sisters in that tier of government are being owed salaries. For transparency, NUT and NULGE have been included in the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee meetings, (JAAC).
He also urged workers in the state “to continuously uphold and strengthen the values of honesty, commitment, transparency, fiscal discipline, and excellence in service delivery” to enable his administration actualize its ambitious growth plans.
It will be recalled also on workers day that the Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Michael Nwobodo praised Governor Okowa that despite recession ravaging the country; Governor Okowa has been consistent with the payment of salaries and staff emolument.
While the State Government is in solidarity with the Local Council workers,it is pertinent for NULGE to state the facts as they are.
