Some former councillors on Thursday staged a protest over alleged non-payment of their three years benefits amounting to N1.27 billion by the Niger State Government.
Malam Garba Umar who spoke on behalf of the 274 former councillors during the peaceful protest at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Minna, said several efforts to receive the payments had failed.
He said “We are former local government councillors who served from 2016 to 2019. We are here to protest non-payment of our benefits by the Niger State Government.
“We have met with the stakeholders such as the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, Chief of Staff and the Speaker of the State Assembly, but nothing has been done,” he said.
Umar revealed how the state governor had directed Malam Abdulmalik Daji, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to effect the payment, but all to no avail.
He listed the benefits to include allowances on furniture, severance, medical and accommodation.
He explained that under the arrangement, each councillor would receive over N4.6 million totalling N 1.27 billion.
Umar insisted that there would be no end to the protest until they payment is done.
“We will continue to lay siege at the ministry for local government and chieftaincy affairs until our monies are paid,” he said.
Reacting to the development, Malam Abdulmalik Daji, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs admitted that the former councillors were being owed some allowances.
He, however, said that the inability of the government to pay the allowances was not deliberate.
Daji attributed the delay in the payment to the shortfall in the money accruable to the state from the Federation Account Allocation, occasioned by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which he said made it impossible for government at all levels to meet their financial obligations.
“Again apart from COVID-19, the insecurity in parts of the state is greatly taking a toll on the finances of the ministry for local because a lot of resources are being channelled to tackling the insecurity and I can tell you that it has not been easy.
“You know that the ministry for local government does not get intervention from anywhere either international donor or anywhere, the ministry relies solely on federal allocations.
“It is from there that salaries of primary schools teachers are paid, it is from there that primary healthcare members of staff are paid and from there that the eight emirate councils emoluments are paid.
“In addition to this, over 300 district heads and over 400 village heads are paid from there.
“It is from the allocation that the ministry consolidates the payment of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai”s members of staff salaries,” he said.
He said the ministry required about N800 million to meet up with 100 per cent payment of salaries to local government staff, primary schools teachers among others.
“We understand their plight and frustration over their unpaid allowances, but because of the dwindling resources as a result of global pandemic that has affected the economy of the country, the allocation we used to get has drastically reduced.
“It is not what it used to be, we can barely pay salaries of local government workers, so when we are managing to pay salaries where do we get extra money to pay allowances of these former councillors,” he queried.
The commissioner appealed for patience from the aggrieved former councillors, stressing that “when there is improvement in our allocation, we will definitely address these challenges.
“But if the allocation does not improve, how can we cope with all these and still pay other outstanding allowances like the one the councillors are demanding.
“They need to be patient and show some understanding with the government and as soon as things improve, and we can pay salaries comfortably nothing will stop us from the payment of their outstanding allowances, we will surely look into their demands.”
He therefore told them that calling for his removal would not solve the problems.
“They just have to be patience, we will address their problem when the economy improves,” he said.