Updated: Fayemi is deducting N1bn from LG monthly allocation - NULGE alleges

Agitation by Ekiti State Local Government workers over non implementation of the approved N19,300 minimum wages at the LG level took a new turn when the Ekiti State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employee, NULGE accused the Governor of incessant diversion of over N1billion of the Local Government Allocation every month.

In a letter with reference No. NULGE/EKS/24/Vol.I/280 dated 27 July, 2012, NULGE referred to an earlier correspondence with the Governor dated 27th june, 2012 with reference, NULGE/EKS/73/Vol.II/85 in which the union claimed to have highlighted the need for the state government to commence implementation of the #19,300.00 New Minimum Wage for civil servants and CONHESS/CONMESS to Health Workers in the local Governments’ service.

NULGE said it has made various peaceful attempts towards ensuring that the state government appreciates the importance of giving approval to have the New minimum Wages paid to workers at the local governments councils.

The Union said the Ekiti State Government has kept promising to pay them without indicating the actual time the wages would be paid. NULGE accused Government of not inviting the leadership of the union to any sincere discussion on how the new salary would be implemented, instead, various punishments had been visited on the staffers of the local governments for demanding for what is due to them.

The Union restated its believe that the allocation due to Local Governments in the state from the Federal allocation can accommodate the payment of the new wages if not diverted by the Kayode Fayemi's administration.

The Letter reads in part "We have it on record that what is being declared as total allocation to councils in the state for some months now is not what is actually shared in the course of the joint account Allocation committee (JAAC) meeting. A good example in this regard is the allocation released to Ekiti LGs by the FG for February shared in march, 2012, when the allocation for the 16 local governments amounted to #2,725,984,174.83, what was declared to at JAAC by the State Governor was mere #1,345,640,056.01 and that of April distributed in May was #2,039,863,343.65 and the sum of #1,476,368,871.53 was declared. This has been the practice for other preceding months"