While we apologise for the delay and the accompany inconveniences, be rest assured of our commitment to the welfare and interest of our workforce – Asiru
It only gets worse when the welfare of the workers in a state like Kogi is much more less of a priority to the government, and unfortunately, the toothless organized Labour union in the state.
As if it was not enough to cut the salary of the state workers to 70 percent in the guise of implementing minimum wage, the Kogi State Government has finally paid local government workers and teachers their first salary since beginning of the year, and now reduced from 30 percent to 17 percent.
The government, sadly, paid local government workers and primary school teachers their January Salary yesterday, March 10 in a shocker percentage.
When asked what percentage he received, a senior local government worker told ebirareporters.com that he could not ascertain whether it was 20 or 15, as the former percentage gave him N30,000 and he just received N17000.
“We have handed him over to God, since we don’t have a union to fight for us,” he said before ending the call.
Recall that ahead of the ridiculous payments, the state government earlier in the week reeled out a statement to address concerns, blaming late receipt and poor allocation of FAAC figures to the state.
The Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Idris Asiru in the statement said the state workforce would be partitioned. Whilst one half gets full salaries, the other half comprising of levels 7 and above in all MDAs, the pensioners as well as the Political Office Holders were paid 70% in line with the minimum wage.
Asiru was however quiet on the local government workers and primary school teachers whom have been the worst hit since Yahaya Bello, until they eventually paid them 17 percent.
“We wish to state and reiterates that we are committed to clear the outstanding arrears in the following month.
While we apologise for the delay and the accompany inconveniences, be rest assured of our commitment to the welfare and interest of our workforce, ” Asiru quite assured.
An assurance it was, indeed, when Governor Yahaya Bello had on January 27th, 2022 on the second anniversary of his second term in office did not mince words when he said only “extensive retrenchment” could make him pay full salary to the local government workers and teachers.
In his words, he said “currently, this can only be possible with extensive staff retrenchment to remove the massive redundancy inherent in the system. This is the sad reality imposed on us by a bloated workforce in the face of severely dessicated allocations cum finances.
“While there exists strong justifications for this option, it remains one which I, personally, consider too drastic to deploy against citizens in the present state of our Nigerian economy.
He said he would likely pass the problem “down the road to the next administration.”
