NULGE Insists On N18,000 Minimum Wage

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has directed its state chapters to insist on the N18,000 national minimum wage for local government employees during negotiations.

The National President, Mr Ibrahim Khaleel, gave the directive at a workshop for NULGE national treasurers and auditors, as well as state presidents, secretaries, treasurers and finance officers on Thursday in Abuja.

Khaleel said the NULGE aligned with the NLC’s position on the N18,000 minimum wage.

“Let me use this opportunity to call on state governors who are still ganging up against Nigerian workers to have a rethink.

“If the governors are true democrats and honest apostles of the rule of law being espoused by the Federal Government, they should respect the law on the new minimum wage.”

The national president, however, stressed the need for a review of the country’s revenue sharing formula in favour of the local governments.

“I wish to state that our union NULGE supports the upward review of revenue from the federation account to the local governments but not before the conduit pipe (Joint Allocation Account Committee) through which the local governments are currently funded is expunged from the constitution.”

Khaleel also called for direct funding of local governments and the correction of all defects such as Section 7 in the constitution prior to the review of the sharing formula.

According to him, Sections 7 and 162 of the constitution serve as a shield for state governments to manipulate the local governments.

He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for his proposal on restructuring the local government system and called for the centralisation of payment of staff salaries and pensions.

In his remark, the Edo President of NULGE, Mr Pat Okeranlen, said the workshop would ensure accountability and stability in the union’s activities.