By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has faulted the Independence Day address of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate, Abubakar Chika Malami, describing some of his claims concerning workers as inaccurate.
The NLC chairman, Comrade Murtala Usman, in a statement on Thursday, said Malami’s pledges to Kebbi workers amounted to political promises on issues he claimed had already been addressed by the state government.
Usman particularly faulted Malami’s pledge to ensure prompt payment of retirees’ gratuities and pensions, saying pensioners in the state had continued to receive their entitlements promptly under Governor Nasir Idris.
“Every reasonable Kebbi indigene is aware that since Governor Idris came on board, he has never delayed payment of gratuities to retired Kebbi civil servants. The records are in the public domain,” he said.
According to him, pensioners in the state were witnesses to the prompt payment of their pensions, adding that they were sometimes paid before serving workers.
He described Malami’s pledge on the issue as an attempt to gain public and workers’ sympathy.
On the minimum wage, the NLC chairman said the state government was paying workers above the ₦70,000 minimum wage approved at the federal level.
He said Kebbi workers were receiving ₦75,000, consolidated with leave grants.
“No state in the federation is paying the minimum wage Kebbi State is paying. Therefore, to pledge ₦110,000 as a new minimum wage is nothing but a mere political statement,” Usman said.
He also faulted Malami’s pledge to provide public transportation for workers, saying the ADC candidate failed to mention the recently launched Kebbi State Transport Authority, which he said was established to ease transportation challenges for residents, including workers commuting from rural communities to the state Secretariat.
On workers’ housing, Usman said the state government had already approved more than 700 housing units for workers, with construction at an advanced stage.
He also said the state government had recruited more than 1,800 health workers across the state and local governments as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery.
The NLC chairman further said the primary education sector had received attention through the implementation of responsibility allowances and consequential adjustments in teachers’ salaries.
According to him, the government had also constructed more than 200 schools, renovated and furnished several others, and recruited 2,000 teachers to address congestion in primary and secondary schools.
Usman said the NLC ordinarily avoided engaging politicians in public exchanges but decided to respond because some issues raised by Malami directly concerned the union’s advocacy for workers’ welfare.
He added that promotions for Kebbi workers had consistently been implemented alongside annual increments.
While wishing residents a happy Independence Day, the NLC chairman urged politicians to verify their facts before making public statements.
He said doing so would help prevent the dissemination of inaccurate information to the public and workers.
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