Unionist: defaulters will be voted out


Governors: President didn’t tell us to pay all salary arrears

Posted By: Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Toba Agboola


A row broke out yesterday over the President’s directive to governors on workers’ salaries.
Governors said President Muhammadu Buhari did not say they should pay all arrears of salaries before Christmas.

But workers threatened to vote out governors who may fail to pay.

After a meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday, President Buhari directed Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele to release the balance of the Paris/London Club refund to states to enable them pay salaries.

Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) briefed reporters on the outcome of the meeting.

Yesterday, the governors denied that the President said they should pay all arrears of workers’ salaries before Christmas.

Besides, a statement by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum secretariat said given the delay in the past between when the President gave a directive and the actual release of funds, the money might not get to the states before Christmas.

This might have set a stage for a battle between the governors and workers.

A Labour leader, Comrade Isa Aremu, said last night: Any governor who fails to pay workers before Christmas will be voted out.”

The statement said: “The governors had expressed profound gratitude to the President for his magnanimity in hearkening to the needs of the states and understanding with them towards helping to solve some of the intractable financial problems of governance, top among which is the lingering problem of workers’ salaries.

“They pledged, therefore, to rise up to the occasion collectively, as a mark of their respect for President Muhammadu Buhari and empathy for the workers by paying before Christmas, once the Finance, the Budget and Planning Ministries and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disburse the monies owed them, as instructed.”

The governors recalled that the President had remarked that, ”I will not be saying much because the responsible ministers are here: Finance, Budget and Planning and the Central Bank of Nigeria. I request you to appoint your own team to come and sit down with them (referring to the governors).

“This should be done, not only for next year’s budget but for this Christmas. The Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning and the Central Bank should sit down with you in a sub-committee to see how much can be released before Christmas,” the President said.

The statement said that no mention of “all workers arrears”, was ever made, by President Buhari.

“For Nigerians without sources other than their salary, I am concerned that workers should be able to pay rent, school fees, buy drugs and take care of their families. I am so much concerned that people should have something to eat for Christmas,” President Muhammadu Buhari declared.”

The statement added “The governors had appealed to the President to once again authorise the Finance ministry and the other officials to hasten the payment of the remainder of the Paris and London Clubs loan refunds as they had factored the monies into their 2018 budgets.

“President Muhammadu Buhari’s instruction that the money be paid before Christmas however, draws its background from the series of delays in the previous disbursements to the states by the Finance Ministry, which by commission or omission had ex acerbated and indeed increased the number of months that workers are owed salaries.

“For example, the first bailout that President Buhari approved was not paid until October, four months after the President had given approval for the money to be paid. It was the same practice with the first tranche of the Paris-London Club repayment, which was approved in mid-2016 but took until December 2016 to hit the states’ accounts. It is imperative to add that the Paris–London funds were legitimate funds of the states and not loans as several sources had thought.

“Barring any such happenstances, however, governors, who are equally very worried about their workers’ plight, are ready to wipe away workers’ tears by paying their emoluments before Christmas.”

Aremu, General Secretary of Textile Workers Union, said the 2019 election will be determined by how competent a governor has performed in payment of salaries.

He said: “If they don’t pay, what will be the moral authority to say private employers should pay? So, they are not only the employers of labour, but they should enforce the law. They are to make sure that employers that are not paying are sanctioned.

Head of Nigeria Civil Service Union(NCSU) Alhaji Mohammed Kiri who is also a member of the Minimum Wage Committee, said labour was determined to isolate any state that fails to utilize the Paris Club refund for salary payment.

He praised Buhari for coming this far and also for giving N800 million each to states as budget support.

http://thenationonlineng.net/workers-threaten-governors-buharis-pay-directive/

I see

Kogi state governor will surely fall my hands......

Hope Aregbesola Can Listen To This Mr Afusa

Rubbish! why should you allow yourself to be owed as a government worker for up to six months after working? are you working in the governors private firm? what drastic step are the labour unions taking as regards this ugly and barbaric trend by government officials?

A governor that refuses to pay salary after collecting allocation from the federation account and state IGR should be placed under house arrest by these workers. Block the exit and entrance gate of the government house. Yes, they will shoot and throw canisters but hold your ground if you can and let your voice be heard by the international community, coz this is worse than what is currently going on in Libya.

A state of emergency should also be declared in that state and the governor step aside, because a governor that is unable to pay salaries has no business occupying that office.

I bet this will be a wake up call on all salary owing and intending salary owing governors.

A simple audit will show that 97% of these useless governors cannot give an accurate account of the monthly allocations + Paris Fund refund + IGR in their treasuries. They have succeeded in manipulating Buhari into releasing another batch of refund for them. Awon ole.

hmmm empty

He said: “If they don’t pay, what will be the moral authority to say private employers should pay? So, they are not only the employers of labour, but they should enforce the law. They are to make sure that employers that are not paying are sanctioned.



A Labour leader, Comrade Isa Aremu, said last night: Any governor who fails to pay workers before Christmas will be voted out.”


Naso.com

It about to go down.

yahaya bello will come with another excuse again, bet me

factsandfigures:
Kogi state governor will surely fall my hands......

Hmm

dust144:
It about to go down.

abeg make e go down quick make everything scatter jor

Kogi state governor will surely fall my hands......

Give them 1k each plus a pack of boiled rice during election and watch them change mouth..

Where were they when fuel was increased from 87 to 145.. nonsense

EASY39:
Hope Aregbesola Can Listen To This Mr Afusa

Aregbe will rather go and build flyovers where is not needed than to pay workers


He derived untold joy from suffering of the workers especially pensioners

Ogbeni, yahaya bello n okoroawusa has twisted the President's directive the way it will suit their interest. God us watching

None of them is creative. These ones have no place in history

can somebody pls help me out. i want to know if i can exchange my star-time decoder to another decoder that's not star-time
i found star-time the worst thing i ever bargained with in my life. i have a problem with my decoder. i reported and was given combo, after paying additional =N=7,000. when i loaded it, the money went to the former smart card of which they failed to block and had wrong number sent to it. i had to travel 3 times for 6 hours each time to go to the head office in Ibadan. i could only get embarrassment from the total-garden manager and the technician she directed me to. both with mobile number 08172398045 and 08172398036. my smart-card number is 01831320848. am also being charged excessively. =N=1,000 for 3days. making =N=10,000 monthly.i found many people complaining about this.

They need to be reminded

governors should stop using directive or before Christmas as an excuse...the point here is pay your workers....I don't see how you guys will collect Paris club or London club money , plus federal allocations and IGR monthly and still owe workers, it does not make sense, its even a crime against humanity?how do this workers cope with life and family..yet you don't care....should such an issue generate noise on the internet....I don't think so...try and pay workers...that's the simple rule here..pay and pay

A simple audit will show that 97% of these useless governors cannot give an accurate account of the monthly allocations + Paris Fund refund + IGR in their treasuries.

ask4double:
Rubbish! why should you allow yourself to be owed as a government worker for up to six months after working? are you working in the governors private firm? what are the labour unions doing about this ugly and barbaric trend by government officials?

A governor that refuses to pay salary after collection allocation from the federation account and state IGR should be placed under house arrest by these workers. Block the exit and entrance gate of the government house, yes they will shoot and throw canisters but hold your ground if you can and let your voice be heard by the international community, coz this is worse than what is currently going on in Libya.

A state of emergency should also be declared in that state and the governor should step aside, because a governor that is unable to pay salaries have no business occupying that exalted office.

I bet this will be a wake up call on all salary owing and intending salary owing governors to be more prudent.

Oh boy! See solution! Very drastic!

Actually, sha, the situation calls for such drastic actions. Maybe the workers aren't hungry enough that's why they are still acting cooleh...

We need Aluta Continua type like you as Union Leaders o! So much mayhem for force or arm twist the idiotic men we call governors to pay the workers quickly

ask4double:
Rubbish! why should you allow yourself to be owed as a government worker for up to six months after working? are you working in the governors private firm? what drastic step are the labour unions taking as regards this ugly and barbaric trend by government officials?

A governor that refuses to pay salary after collection allocation from the federation account and state IGR should be placed under house arrest by these workers. Block the exit and entrance gate of the government house, yes they will shoot and throw canisters but hold your ground if you can and let your voice be heard by the international community, coz this is worse than what is currently going on in Libya.

A state of emergency should also be declared in that state and the governor step aside, because a governor that is unable to pay salaries have no business occupying that exalted office.

I bet this will be a wake up call on all salary owing and intending salary owing governors.

. You be spoken well. Let them not take actions on their own. They should keep waiting for directives. Bunch of stupid people. Tomorrow they will still vote in that same govonor or his stooge .

You see reasons why this hasn't entered page 2? Simple, It showed clearly and cant be twisted that Buhari is on the side of the workers and the wailers knows they have a responsibility to question their respective governors and hold them accountable. Instead they will wailer and twist facts against Buhari

The state governors should just do the needful, because it's very worrisome how a worker will not be paid after working for it.

Buhari always trying to curry public favour with his dubious tricks, how feasible n possible is it for the finance ministry to release this money to the States?, why don't he just give a direct order to the minister of finance with a specific time limit if he is is sincere n felt so much concern so we can see who is to blame eventually!, this pronouncement will only lead to stories n buck passing n nothing more,while Buhari supporters will be busy with " Buhari meant well but for the crooks around him",not realising political tricks involved.