THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) have threatened to lockdown any state that failed to use the second tranche of the Paris Loan Refund to pay arrears of salaries and pension owed the workers and pensioners.
Speaking with Tribune Online on Saturday, both NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and the NUP President, Dr Abel Afolayan, vowed to clampdown on any state that refused to use the fund for the payment of salaries and pensions as directed by the Federal Government.
Wabba said the congress has mandated its state chapters across the 36 states of the Federation to monitor the distribution of the funds and what their governors are doing about it.
According to him, the governors, under the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) have also resolved to use the funds for payment of salaries and pensions; adding that they have all and jointly made commitment to use it for this purpose.
He, however, warned that the congress and its affiliates would not take it lightly on any governor that failed to abide with this commitment.
The NLC President reminded the governors of the spiral effect of paying salaries to workers and pension to pensioners on the larger economy, saying that this will in overall boost the general economy.
“We have alerted all our states council to be on serious look out on the spending of the money and take on any governor that failed on their commitment to use the fund to pay salaries and pensions.” Wabba said.
Also, Dr Afolayan explained that the NUP has gone a step further to attach the distribution of the Paris Club Loan Refund as published in the Nigerian Tribune to a letter directing the union state chapters to follow up the process of payment.
He said the state chapters should ensure the monitoring of the disbursement of the fund, and alert the headquarters if they notice that any of the governors is derailing.
Afolayan said the union would join hands with the NLC lock down any state that divert the fund for other use, instead of paying salaries and pensions.