The Edo State chapter of
the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has urged Gov. Adams Oshiomhole to pay the salaries of primary school teachers in the state.
The state NULGE Chairman, Mr Edward Illenikhena, made the appeal while fielding questions from newsmen in Benin, on Sunday.
Illenikhena attributed the delay in the payment of teacher’ salaries to the state government taking over the internally generated revenue (IGR) base of local government council areas.
He said this had made it difficult for the councils to promptly pay their workers’ salaries.
The NULGE boss said that going by the provisions of the constitution; the state government and the councils were to jointly fund primary schools, which includes the payment of the salaries of their teachers.
Illenikhena said that while state governments within the South- South geo-political zone of the country had been fulfilling this constitutional responsibility, the Edo State Government had not.
“The constitution makes it clear that the state governments will play a participatory role in funding the salaries of primary school teachers and well being.
“Unfortunately, as far as we are concerned in Edo State, the local government takes 100 per cent responsibility of paying salaries of primary school teachers.’’
He said that the depletion in the internally generated revenue base of the council areas was responsible for local governments to owe their workers and pensioners.
Illenikhena said the state government could address this challenge by firstly,  paying its own share of what is meant to fund and pay teachers’ salaries in Edo.
“This will go a long way in reducing the burden of paying salaries to local government workers and teachers.
“Secondly, the IGR can be improved when the state government takes over control of the IGR base across the state.
“This can be organised in form of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the local government chairmen and the state government.’
“If these areas are addressed, I assure you that the IGR of the local governments will spring up, where most of the urban local government can handle their won financial problems.
“But, as long as the state government is not paying its own share of the teachers’ salaries and the IGR is still in the hands of politicians, the problem will continue,’’ he said
He said this was the reason why the union has been canvassing local governments’ autonomy.
Illenikhena said that if both the state and local governments enjoy some forms of independence, things that concern the state would be done in the right way.
“For instance in Edo, the local governments are supposed to share 10 per cent of the IGR from the state.
“As we speak now, the state government has never shared this with the councils. The state is withholding the 10 per cent from the local governments”, he said.