The General Secretary of Textile Workers’ Union,Comrade Issa Aremu has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving bail out package for states settle workers’ salaries.
Speaking as the chairperson, IndustriALL Global Union, Africa Region at the National Executive Council meeting of Nigerian affiliates of IndustriALL Global Union on Wednesday July 8, 2015 in Lagos,Aremu said, “We hereby commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the intervention funds to States to settle accumulated workers’ salaries. This is the first time we have positive and timely intervention on wage payment.
“The President has shown that with respect to payment of salaries, he is labour-friendly and labour sensitive. The President had earlier described a situation where federal and state workers were not being paid salaries as a disgrace to the nation. By approving the release of N713.7 billion intervention funds for states President Muhammadu Buhari has walked his talk on delayed payment of salaries.
He noted that “The bail-out also included a Central Bank-packaged special intervention fund that offers financing to the states, ranging from between N250bn to N300bn; this would be a soft loan available to states to access for the purposes of paying backlog of salaries. The President and indeed all Nigerians must demand responsibilities from governors and all public officials. As governors you cannot be living on bail outs and debt reliefs, only to be chattering private jets for political meetings and wedding/burial functions of all types. President Buhari must block all wasteful leakages now and demand accountabilities from public officials. All public officials must travel commercial and travel economies. If possible they must be on KEKE NAPEP which they put their people. Austerity must start from upstairs.
However, he urged the states to look beyond dependence on interventions and seek reindustrialization. “The states’ governors must partner with the Federal government to re-industrialize their states. Governors must depend on companies and personal income taxes not oil money bail outs. The Governors Forum must declare state of emergency on industrial revival”,Aremu said.
