By Daniel Tyokua
Members of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), FCT chapter in the early hours of Thursday, staged a peaceful protest that crippled office activities in all the six Area Councils over non payment of their January salaries by the chairmen.
The staff in their respective councils blocked the entrances carrying placards with such inscriptions as, “FCT Minister, Save Area Council Staff from hunger, “Non Payment Of January Salary,” “No Salary, No Work.
Other inscriptions include ,”We want total release of statutory allocation for area Councils,” “No Salary, No Work In FCT Area Councils”.
The protest prevented workers from accessing their offices which resulted to grilock around the secretariat.
NULGE had on February 16th, sent letters of commencement of industrial action to the permanent secretary Federal Capital Territory Administration, all education secretaries, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
Addressing journalists after the protest in Abuja Municipal Area Council, NULGE state president Abdullahi Kabir, said despite their meeting with the Council chairmen there was no hope for the payment.
According to them, “The union met with all the council chairmen on February 16th, on the staff salary and none of them is ready to release the January salary, they told us that without the full allocation, they can’t pay the salary.
“The non payment of January, 2022 salary and attendant consequences on the welfare and well-being of the staff of Area Council and LEA’s non teaching staff”
However, efforts to hear from the chairman Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Mustapha Denze failed as his phone line was switched off, with a text message sent to him not answered during the time of filling this report.
