Tag: salary

SERAP Asks Court To Stop Payment Of Dariye’s ‘N14.2m Monthly Salary’

SERAP logo                                                                Senator Joshua Dariye

 

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to stop the continued payment of N14.2 million salary by the National Assembly to Senator Joshua Dariye.

Dariye who is a former governor of Plateau State is currently serving a 10-year jail term at the Kije Prison in Abuja for embezzling N1.1bn ecological funds belonging to Plateau State while in office.

In a statement on Sunday by SERAP’s Senior Legal Adviser, Ms Bamisope Adeyanju, the organisation says the payment of the lawmaker’s salary while in prison for corruption violates the law.

“This action undermines the rule of law and is a great moral failure because it sends a message that corruption pays—it’s the opposite of Nigerian Constitutional principles and international obligations,” Adeyanju said.

SERAP in the suit number FHC/L/CS/2146/18 filed last Friday accused the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission of attempting to override Nigerian law and the judgment.

It said, “By paying Mr Dariye’s allowances while in prison, Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission have destroyed the efficacy and purpose of Mr Dariye’s conviction and have brought the rule of law and administration of justice into disrepute.

“SERAP and the public are alarmed by the action of Mr Saraki and the National Assembly Service Commission and they ought to be restrained by this Honourable Court.”

The anti-corruption group appealed to the court to compel the Senate President and NASS Service Commission to immediately stop the payment of the convicted lawmaker.

To SERAP, “restraining them would send a clear message to Nigerian elected officials that corruption does not pay and contribute to promoting accountability and fostering public trust and confidence in Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law and the governance system.”

Ekiti Govt Receives N3.9bn Paris Club Refund, Pays Salary Arrears

Ekiti Govt Receives N3.9bn Paris Club Refund, Pays Salary Arrears
Governor Kayode Fayemi (file)

 

The Ekiti State government has received N3.9 billion from the Federal Government as the last tranche of its Paris Club refund.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Yinka Oyebode, revealed this in a statement on Thursday.

He added that N3.3billion was also deducted and paid as outstanding 2016- 2018 counterpart fund for Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) being owed by the state, as directed by the President.

Upon receiving the refund on Thursday, Oyebode disclosed that Governor Kayode Fayemi had consequently directed that the N3.9billion Paris Club refund be applied to pay one month of outstanding arrears to state and local government workers, teachers, and pensioners.

He explained that this was in line with the governor’s promise to workers and people of the state, noting that it would be done with augmentation from internal savings.

According to the statement, the Paris Club refund was received following President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in the matter, after Governor Fayemi’s visit to the President last week.

“Governor Fayemi expressed appreciation to the President for the timely intervention, having assured workers in the state that his administration would explore all avenues to clear the five to eight months’ salary arrears owed workers in the state by the immediate past administration, within a reasonable period,” the statement said.

“Dr Fayemi, had while fielding questions during the monthly “Meet Your Governor” programme on television and radio last week re-assured workers that he was yet to receive the Paris Club refund, adding that he would make it public once the state received the payment.”

Oyebode claimed that the immediate past administration of Mr Ayodele Fayose had received a total of N18.34 billion Paris Club refund in three tranches between December 2016 and December 2017, in addition to bailout funds, budget support funds and excess crude support, all totalling about N55 billion.

He accused the former administration of failing to utilise such on salary being owed workers and retirees.

However, the former governor has yet to counter the allegations.

The first tranche of the Paris Club refund totalling N8.87 billion, according to Fayemi’s aide, was received in December 2016 while the state also got N4.77 billion in July 2017 and another N4.7billion in December 2017.

He insisted that Governor Fayemi has assured workers in the state that his administration would not owe them salaries.

Oyebode added that the governor promised to clear outstanding salaries for all categories of workers within one year.

Police Speak On Salary Short Payment To Personnel

Police Speak On Salary Short Payment To Personnel
File photo: IGP Ibrahim Idris

 

The police have clarified the controversy surrounding the salary short payment to personnel for the month of April.

According to them, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) revealed that the challenge was due to a system error.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Jimoh Moshood, however, said the OAGF has assured the personnel that the issue is being promptly resolved.

The statement read, “All other issues relating to payment of salary to police personnel are being addressed. The affected personnel will according to OAGF get the salary differential paid on or before Monday, May 7, 2018.

“Commissioners of Police and their supervising Assistant Inspectors General of Police in charge of State and Zonal Commands, and Heads of other formations and detachment in the Force have been directed by the Inspector General of Police to lecture and educate their personnel who have any complaint from payment of February, March and April 2018 salary that their complaints are being rectified.”

The police further urged the affected persons not to panic as the Force was doing everything in conjunction with OAGF to ensure that all the identified problems in the payment of salaries of police personnel across the country were resolved permanently.

Borno Workers Demand Payment Of Salary, Pension Arrears

Borno Workers Demand Payment Of Salary, Pension ArrearsLabour unions in Borno State are demanding for the payment of backlog of salaries, gratuity and pension of civil servants in the state.

The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Titus Abana, made the call on Monday at an event to commemorate the Workers’ Day in Maiduguri, the state’s capital in North-East Nigeria.

Mr Abana noted with dismay that workers and pensioners were facing untold hardship, due to the ongoing biometric exercise which he said had delayed the payment of salaries.

He decried that while some of the already screened workers were yet to receive their salaries since June 2016, many others have not been invited for the capturing.

“The biometric exercise should be hastened and completed in this month of May 2017, and payment of salaries should be transverse to the Ministry of Finance.

“Also, officers undertaking the exercise should take particular attention of pensioners who are old and weak and may not be able to withstand some of the rigours of the exercise as carried out at the state level,” the NLC Chairman said.

In his response, Borno State Deputy Governor, Usman Durkwa, assured the civil servants that their suffering was for a while and for the overall benefit of the state.

He said Governor Kashim Shettima would use resources saved from the biometric exercise to gainfully employ the teeming jobless youths in the state.

“The government intends to use money recovered from the biometric data capture exercise to employ our teeming unemployed youths and create a sustainable salary payment.

“We further appeal to our workers to show more understanding because they will surely laugh last,” Durkwa noted.

Other demands by the union include full implementation of owner/occupier housing scheme, allocation of newly constructed houses to workers, upward review of pensions, as well as implementation of yearly increment and promotion benefits among others.

Abia State Hospital Staff Protest Over Unpaid Salaries

Abia, Protest, Hospital managementStaff of the Abia State Hospital Management Board are bitter over non-payment of their salaries within the last six months.

In a protest in front of their office, the workers dressed in black, numbering about two-hundred, lamented over the hardship they are experiencing and appealed to the government to do the needful.

The State’s Commissioner of Finance, Mr Obinna Oriaku, however, said the protest has a political undertone.

He said a recent verification exercise conducted, revealed a lot of irregularities that brought down the wage bill from N100 to N64 million and considered the protest to be unnecessary, as they had received a month’s salary.

The protesters were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions such as: “Stop The Removal/Slashing Of Our Allowances”, “Our Children Are Thrown Out Of School For School Fees” “Landlords On Our Necks”, amongst others, while the gate and entrance to the offices were kept under lock and key.

Mr. Oriaku stated further that the government would not be distracted or intimidated as it is doing everything possible to clear the arrears.

He also insisted that the protest is politically motivated because as a parastatal, they ought to generate their salaries and raise revenue for the government, which they have not been doing.

The workers have insisted that their protests will continue until the government listens to them and takes positive action as every worker is worthy of their wage.