Akwa Ibom NULGE on war path over 8 months salary owed workers

DENNIS UDOMA, Uyo

The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), in Akwa Ibom State is set for war with the state government, Thursday, for refusal to settle salary arrears and emoluments of workers.

The planned protest, which will hold simultaneously in all the 31 Local Government headquarters across the state,
was preceded by a warning peaceful demonstration at the state capital, Uyo on Tuesday.

President of NULGE, Comrade Martins Effiong disclosed this to newsmen in Uyo during an interaction on Wednesday.

He explained that, the protest was necessary because their patience has been overstretched by government which was unwilling to implement the agreement it reached with workers to settle pending salaries and emoluments.

The salary arrears, he explained, amounted to between 12 months in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene 4, Abak 2, one month in respect of Ini, Ikono, Uruefong Oruko, Ika and Itu Local Government Areas.

Other related issues are, he said, are non implementation of promotion arrears, leave grants, pension and gratuities for some retired council workers since 2012, adding that, local governments have been insolvent thereby having difficulties to settle stipends owed to ad-hoc workers for several months.

This situation, the NULGE boss maintained, has subjected the affected workers to misery and hardship, while some unfortunate ones died in the course of waiting for their rewards.

“Because of this, our members are dying in numbers, our children are out of schools; they can’t compete with their peers because of lack of funds to give them good education.

“If government cannot do it because of us, it should do it for the sake of our children and their future”, blaming the State government for deliberately stifling developments at the grassroots by systematic withdrawal of council allocations through the State/Local Governments joint accounts.

The union, it is recalled, had embarked on strike in 2014 on the vexed issue, a situation that forced the state government to agree on resolving the matter.

Efforts to speak with the commissioner of finance, Mr. Akan Okon, on the withholding of salaries and emoluments of workers were not successful, as his line was switched off.