Nasarawa not owing workers six months’ salary —NLC

Nasarawa State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC),  has said  the state government is update in its salary obligation to the civil servants.

Speaking to  journalists on Monday in Lafia, the state chairman of the body, MrYusuf Iya, said the state government has since paid the July salary to the workers.

The clarification came amid report that   Nasarawa was among the eight states owing  civil servants up to six months’ salary arrears.

The report drew its sources from a survey conducted by BudgIT, a Nigerian civic organisation that applies technology for citizen engagement with institutional improvement to facilitate societal change.

The report named the affected states to include Taraba, Nasarawa, Edo, Ebonyi, Ondo, Plateau, Imo, and Abia.

Budgit said it conducted the survey to spotlight and identify state governments that have consistently failed to meet the essential requirement of governance and employee compensation.

However, Iya described the report as mischievous and untrue, while noting it failed the litmus test of objectivity.

He pointed out that the document published as a result of a survey carried out lacks professional inputs, noting that  a qualified survey must present the source of primary and secondary data and the result of the interview conducted.

He said the civil servants and their leaders who were supposed to have been the source of the primary data, were excluded from the investigation.

He said, “We, the leadership of NLC Nasarawa State, ,who are the representatives of the workers in the state hereby debunk, condemn and describe the report as false, fallacy malicious, concocted and   baseless.”

He also explained that the state government equally approved the implementation of pending promotion for over 14 years with a financial implication of N216 million being added to the state wage and which is paid promptly monthly.

Also responding to the report, the Chief Press Secretary  (CPS) to  Governor Abdullahi Sule,  Mr Ibrahim Addra, in a statement on Monday, described it as malicious.

He said, “For the avoidance of doubt,  the  state government under the stewardship of Sule has never and does not owe a single month of salary.

“Nasarawa has paid salaries up to July of 2022 and in full. It is therefore curious, worrisome and in bad taste that such lies are allowed to remain in the public domain.

“By this report, BudgIT misinformed Nigerians and its wider audience and has in doing so dented its image and reduced its credibility quotient.

“We challenge BudgIT to admit it has goofed and come out with a categorical statement and apology regarding the status of salary payment in Nasarawa State,” added thye statement.

“Anything short of this honourable path will be viewed as an unwarranted attack on the government and people of Nasarawa state.

“The timing of the BudgIT report smacks of mischief and by allowing the same such wide circulation in the media space bear the markings of the job of a hatchet man.

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