Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
According to the Edo branch of the Nigeria Union of Local Administration Employees (NULGE), the state government has not yet paid local government employees for wage arrears that range from two to 17 months.
In a statement released on Friday in Benin by Olumuyiwa Cole, Secretary of NULGE, Edo Chapter, NULGE criticized the government’s stance about the payment of wage arrears to local government employees.
In spite of the fact that we might not be able to object to the payment of salaries to state employees, NULGE stated that the Edo government owes councils money.
Edo government develops orientation programs for women and young people.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Project stated, “We frown at the posture of government on the problem that even LGA personnel are not owed any salary.”
We acknowledge that Local Governments are accountable for paying employees who work for them, the statement read.
“However, it is a reality that the state government manages the funds/account from which they are paid, and that salaries are paid out of the funds/account that are allotted to each local government.”
The union added that the state government had taken control of the internally generated revenue sources that the local government could have argued for.
This is to state the obvious reality that the state government is responsible for the unpaid wages owing to local government employees despite being a separate tier of government.
In the meantime, the Edo Government criticized a report ranking Edo among the states in pay indebtedness to workers in a statement by Mr. Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Projects.
“We hereby refute the false media report by a civic-tech group that the Edo Government owes employees six months’ worth of wages. The report is dishonest in its goals, in addition to being false and trickery.
“The state government owes no salary to state employees. On the other hand, Edo is the first state to raise the minimum wage from the officially sanctioned N30,000 to N40,000. Additionally, it has consistently paid employees the new wage.
