Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State says workers in the local government areas of the state will soon join their counterparts in the core ministries to receive the N30, 000 minimum wage.
Ugwuanyi disclosed this on Thursday in Enugu during the 8th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Enugu State chapter.
The governor was represented by the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Mr Uchechukwu Ogbonna.
Recall that the state government started the implementation of the minimum wage in February 2020 and only workers in the core ministries are currently receiving the new wage.
The governor said that the modalities for the implementation of the new wage in the local councils were being worked out.
“The state government is solidly behind local government workers to ensure they enjoy what their counterparts are enjoying.
“With the speed we are working on the implementation, it will not be long before we conclude,” he said.
Ugwuanyi said that it was one thing to agree on what to pay but another thing to implement.
The National President, NULGE, Mr Ambali Olatunji, said he was concerned that state governors had mismanaged local government council resources.
Olatunji said that the third tier of government was under siege by state political actors.
“All of us are witnessing systematic decay of the local government system caused by state political actors who are mismanaging the resources of the local councils.
“This cannot continue. It is as a result of this disconnect between the leaders and the led that most people are agitating in the country,” he said.
Olatunji commended the National Assembly for the bold step it took towards ensuring that the local councils were granted autonomy.
He said though NULGE had demanded for political autonomy, fiscal autonomy and administrative autonomy, the union was still happy that only fiscal autonomy was granted.
The NULGE president urged Nigerians to get their Permanent Voter Cards ready to vote out lawmakers that worked against the realisation of local government autonomy.
“Nigeria will return to the path of progress if we solve the problems in the local government system,” Olatunji said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the ensuing elections, the incumbent NULGE President in the state, Mr Kenneth Ugwueze, was returned unopposed for a second term in the office.
The following officers were also returned unopposed: Mr Udeagha Ani (Deputy State President), Mr Clement Ude ( State Treasurer) and Mr Joe Nnamani (State PRO).
Others are Mrs Edith Otti (State Welfare Officer), Mr Chukwuma Uwaezuoke (Young Worker Representative) and Mrs Nkiru Igwesi (Chairperson, Women Committee). (NAN)
