Despite Having Low Staff Strength,Plateau Local Government Workers Are The Second Least Paid In The Country-NULGE

Yakubu Busari

The National  President  of Nigerian Union  of Local Government Employees  ,NULGE, Comrade  Ibrahim  Khalid has bemoaned  the Plateau state government  for not  implementing  new minimum wage  for Local Government workers, as he added that Plateau State in spite of having low staff strength in terms of LGAs Workers, the Local Government workers in the State are the least paid workers in the country, as it revealed that it only beat Zamfara State making Plateau State Local Government Workers as the second least paid  after  Zamfara state.

Represented by the National Auditor of NULGE, Comrade Shamdung Ayuba Jembla  during the 40 years anniversary  celebration  of God faithfulness on NULGE  in Plateau, he said the patient exhibited by the  NULGE staff in the  last 3 years of Governor  Simon  Ball Lalong received  commendation  but the journey  over the  years  has been  full of  challenges  with  the rising  cost of living  across  the country  but as a union  we all solicited for improved welfare  packages for our members.

He noted that  the resilience demonstrated by members  over the  years  struggling  for the  implementation of the new minimum wage, as said;  “it may  surprise  you all to hear this  statistics  shows that  Plateau state Local government  workers are receiving  the least salary  among  other  councils  in Nigeria  despite having low staff strength  among the  36 states.”

“I, therefore, call on Governor Simon Lalong to as a matter of urgency increase  the salary of LGAs workers for better productivity “, he added.

“We hereby commended the cordial relationship between the state government and NULGE  in the state,but as the Oliver Twist, we are still pleading for improve the condition of service by calling on the government to restructure the three tiers of government to add value to the workforce.

According  to him, “forty years  down the  lane we all celebrate  today, to remind  ourselves  that  this exercise  was a child born out of our collective  desire  to transform  the 3rd tier of government  across  the nation  with the necessary  laws and the provisions  of our Federal Republic of Nigeria  constitution which predicated  on the  need to safeguard  and guarantee the welfare  of the  workforce  towards  the transformation of our rural populace.

“We give thanks to Almighty God for nurturing and bringing NULGE this far as a united union.

Khalid stressed that it is unfortunate that the situation witness today was as a result of those who drove the NULGE vision over the years,   as we all assembly to mark the progress some few ones are working hard to truncate,  but we all have vowed to focus more on issues that  can promote our common purpose.

He used the opportunity to remind leaders that those who are planting the seed of discord among them should desist from the act because as a union; “we remain committed to the welfare of civil servants especially the Local government workers.

The National president frowned that  40 years down the conditions of civil servants is nothing to write home about,  where many are languishing in abject poverty.

He said the chairman Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Plateau State chapter, Comrade Samson Luka Mafuyai has demonstrated understanding, resilience for the pursuit of new wages was there no special market for its members.

He said based on this peaceful deposition of NULGE, “we, therefore, call for reciprocation by the rescue administration of Hon Simon Lalong who years back made a promise of scaling up salaries and members have been eager for its redemption.

“The myriad of welfare issues for members of NULGE  in the state should not be allowed to linger for even the Holy book affirms that a good turn deserves another, hence the need for government to expedite action on pending before it, he noted.

He  emphasized further  that the union under leadership  has to enjoy  needed support  and cooperation  from  the NLC and other  sister unions which  he said; “I must commend all of you for  upholding  that  spirit of oneness in the sustenance of this bond.”