May Day Celebration: Governor Al-Makura Refuses To Make Available Documents of Accruals of Monthly FAAC- NLC

Rabiu Omaku

The organized Labour in Nasarawa State has asked governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura to as matter of great importance make available documents of all accruals from the Federal Allocation Account Committee from the inception of the current All Progressives Congress in the state.

Comrade Gabriel Agbashi, the state chairman of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools hinted this at the Abdullahi Adamu Labour House Secretariat.

Agbashi said the refusal of the incumbent governor to make available documents of all monies received by the state government from the federation account gives meaning to the sour relationship between government and Labour in the state.

In a letter written to the state government and read before the mammoth crowd by the state Secretary of the Union, Comrade Naibi accused the state government of flouting the collective bargain reached upon during the strike action that plunged the state civil servants into dissary.

Naibi described the unfolding as an aberration and total violation of accord reached between the government and the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, decrying what he referred to as unnecessary deduction and charges in FAAC.

“The state government has violated the accord we reached during a meeting with the Deputy Governor, Silas Ali Agara”.

“We are at a time that salaries of workers were removed with unnecessary charges which was referred to as essentials; he also reacted over the inability of the state government to pay October /November shortfalls”.

The NLC expressed worriness over the nonpayment of compensation to the family of two civil servants killed during the peaceful demonstration at government House,Lafia.

The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdullahi Adeka in his speech expressed satisfaction exhibited by workers in the state despite the trying moments.

Adeka sasid there is nothing for celebration of workers day in Nasarawa state if not the untold hardship civil servants are passing through, he also buttressed those scores of civil servants and retirees in the state lost their lives as a result of difficulties of livelihood under governor Al-Makura.

“God Dey as the Hausa man will say Akwai Allah” as workers in the state observe a minute silent for their death colleagues, the chairman debunked the rumor going that he traveled with governor Al-Makura to China.

“Is the hand work of mischief makers mostly government supporters to cause dissafection and confusion between officials and members of the Organized Labour”.

“The truth of the matter was that I traveled to Namibia not as the chairman of NLC but as the state chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union in Nasarawa state and I was sponsored by the National headquaters of the Union.

“The visit is a routine one annually, I have traveled to other countries in the previous years and so this is not different”,Adeka added”.

The Organized Labour chastise the state government for renaging to the agreement reached that if accruals from the federation accounts is not sufficient to pay salaries in any month,it shall be reserved and added to the accruals from the following month to pay one month salary in full.

“Salaries have been removed from the first line charges and government created unnecessary expenditure tagged essentials to denied us our entitlement”.

Hon.Yakubu Abdulhamid Kwarra,the commissioner of Information,Culture and Tourism in an  interview said the government of Nasarawa state owned only one month workers salary not four months as rightly spread by workers in the state.

Kwarra in an interview with selected Journalists said the state government is doing well in the prompt payment of salary to the workforce.

“The delay in payment of workers salary is not only in Nasarawa state but a Nationwide problem and I’m hopeful that salary would be pay to civil servants as soon as funds are made available through the Federal Allocation Account Committee”.