Gov Otu seeks NLC’s support on bloated wage bill

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, has called on the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC to support the government’s effort towards sanitizing the state civil service.

Addressed protesting labour leaders on Tuesday, in Calabar as part a nationwide protest by the NLC, Otu pointed out several anomalies that have left the present administration with a bloated wage bill.

The Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, commended the protesting workers for their peaceful and coordinated manner of presenting their concerns before government.

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While declaring support for labour over dwindling standard of living in Nigeria, Otu, declared that “There is hunger in the land. Of course, we know. We promised to run a ‘People First’ government. If the people are hungry, there is no way this will happen.”

The governor, acknowledged that the present minimum wage of workers was not enough to measure with the level of inflation in the country adding that prices of goods are high and salaries ought to go up, too.

On the issue of retired workers still occupying government offices, the governor charged labour to assist his administration to weed out such elements to create room for growth of other workers and the employment of new ones.

Conveying Labour’s concerns, Cross River State NLC Chairman, Comrade Gregory Olayi, said they were protesting over the stark economic realities.

He said workers salaries have become grossly inadequate to cater for their households and the governor for the palliative intervention to civil servants in the state, urging the government to do more.