Workers Day: Bago donates cash to NLC

Niger State Governor, Umar Mohammed Bago, has announced the donation of N5m for the organized labour in the state to take care of its members transportation from the 25 local government areas of the state to Minna for the May Day celebration.

Also, the speaker of the state house of assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji donated N2.5milliin to the organised labour in the 25 local government areas of the state to cushion the effect of the current fuel scarcity.

The governor who was represented at the occasion by the Head of Service, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar told the organized labour in the state that the government is working on the increment of salary for workers in the state including an improved general welfare.

He nonetheless appealed to the labour union to show some understanding with the government as it is working out strategies to address some of the demands of the NLC in the state.

In his good will message, the speaker said the mood of the nation calls for urgent attention to the welfare of the civil servants in the country, saying that “I can see that the NLC in the state is not smiling, that shows that all is not well”.

While announcing a N2.5million donation for the organized labour, the speaker assured them that the state government is not relenting on its efforts to address their welfare, especially with the current economic situation in the country.

Sarkindaji described the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as great partners in progress, stressing that there will surely be light at the end of the tunnel.
Earlier the Chairman of the organized labour in the state Comrade Idrees Abdulkarerm Lafene gave the state government 24 hours ultimatum to begin the process for the immediate refund of the money deducted from the state civil servants salary for Contributory Health Care Scheme.

“The Contributory Health Care Scheme was introduced by the immediate past governor of the state Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello whereby two percent of civil servants salary is deducted on monthly basis
“Almost six years after the commencement of the scheme, no civil servant has benefited from it as majority of the civil servants have keyed into the National Health Insurance Scheme.”

The chairman described the state health care scheme as a huge failure as he asked the state government to immediately refund all the money that has been deducted from the civil servants in the state.

Comrade Lafene warned that failure on the part of government to make the refund of thep Contributory Health Care Scheme to the civil servants, the organized labour will ground the state indefinitely.