Do something to save the souls of local govt workers--- NULGE tells Obaseki

Comrade Lazarus Imokhai Adorolo, President NULGE, Edo State 

By Editor

Dec 3, 2022

The Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has called on the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki to as a matter of urgency save the souls of its members by paying all the outstanding debts owed to them since April 2021.

The state president of the union, Comrade Lazarus Imokhai Adorolo made the call on Friday in his address during the celebration of the 2022 week of the union in Benin City.

"There is no local government in Edo state today that is not owing workers arrears of salaries incurred before April, 2021.

"My dear governor, do something to save the souls of local government council workers in Edo State",he said.

Adorolo urged the state government to play the role of a "big brother" by offering some form of grant to the local government to clear the backlog of salaries owed members.

He added that the union has consistently submitted the salary arrears data of the various local government councils to the state government for its intervention.

The union also demanded the remittances of all monies deducted from local government workers' salaries in respect of workers cooperative societies, workers' associations and unions, national housing fund among others before April, 2021.

He opined that, "while we have huge debt accruing from unpaid salaries or salary arrears, this monster of non remittance of deductions from paid salaries is capable of further improvising the already financially decimated workers who are our members.

He also opined the deductions that are unremitted constitute savings and contributions by workers to cater for their welfare and well-being.

Among other demands are, the enforcement of the various court judgments in favour of the local government on waste management and registration of marriages cases 

While decrying the non-enforcemnt of the judgments by the state government, the NULGE state president, appealed for enforcement of the law as interpreted by the judiciary, one of which he said is closure or sealing off of all non local government agencies or committees performing the functions for the state government.

He, however, called on the state government for the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise across the state .

He posited that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will ensure effective clean up of the state by the local governments.

"We appeal to His Excellency, to approve the immediate employment of environmental sanitation officers across the 18 local government councils as the environmental departments are grossly understaffed due to mass retirement of officers in the department in the last three years", he stated.