By DANJUMA JOSEPH, Lafia –
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has approved the immediate payment of N10,000 and N5,000to civil servants and pensioners in the state respectively, as palliative for six months.
The directive also include paying the same amount for workers and pensioners at the local government level.
Governor Sule, who gave the directive on Monday after meeting with labour leaders, at the Government House Lafia, said the measure was aimed at cushioning the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.
He directed the state Accountant General, Head of Civil Service, Commissioner, Ministry for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Director General, Nasarawa State Pension Bureau, as well as the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), to liaise together with a view to commencing the payment of the palliative with immediately effect.
The meeting was convened at the instance of the Governor to harmonize views on the worker’s palliative following feelers that the unions may have different views on what they want for the palliative.
The governor, took time to explain in detail the idea behind the palliative, especially the N5bn given to each state by the Federal Government.
“The arrangement for the palliative is very simple. The Federal Government will give us N4bn in cash, as well as N1bn in cash in order to cushion the hardship created by the removal of fuel subsidy.
“The one billion is going to be in form of a loan which the state is going to pay back. The N4bn is going to be divided into two, N2.08bn would be borne by the Federal Government, N1.02bn is by the state. It’s a grant and loan combined together. Every state has taken N2bn so far,” he disclosed.
He further explained that even at that, there are conditions tied to the money given by the Federal Government, on how the money is to be expended.
“A lot of people don’t understand much about that N4bn. The way it was calculated was that we are going to buy one hundred thousand bags of 50kg rice at N40, 000 per bag, and share in the state. That is the understanding of Mr. President. Part of it is loan, part of it is grant. But you are going to buy 100, 000 bags of rice”
“This one that we are talking about that we are giving as palliative, including the N10000 and N5000, is not out of this N2bn. I think it’s good that we have that clear understanding. The local government are giving out of their improved allocation, out of the improved revenue that we are getting as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy,” he said.
Gov Sule, while responding to the plea by the labour leaders to use the money meant to be given to workers as palliative to implement consequential increment for workers on level 7 and above, as well as promotions, said his administration would rather do something that would give every citizen of the state a sense of belonging.
He further urged the labour unions to be realistic in their demands, especially given the prevailing economic realities.
Engineer Sule, however, assured the labour leaders that the issues of consequential increment and promotion would be addressed by his administration.
“At the end of the six months period, hopefully our income would remain the same or even better. From the seventh month, I have absolutely no problem. Instead of using the resources for something else, we would use some percentage to address the consequential increment,” he added.
Responding, both Comrades Ayuba Ismaila Oko and Mohammed Doma, state chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), respectively agreed with the governor, regarding the payment of ten thousand naira and five thousand naira to workers and pensioners.
The labour leaders, including the representative of pensioners in the state, thanked the Governor for his magnanimity, while also pledging to differ their earlier claims regarding the payment of consequential increment and implementation of promotion to a later date as agreed by the governor.
