BY CHUWANG DUNGS
The Chairman of Bali Local Government Council in Taraba State, Dauda Dakka, have denied allegations of non-payment of workers’ salaries.
Recall about 100 staff of the council issued a statement on Wednesday accusing the chairman of refusing to pay them their four-month salaries.
The chairman of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), in Bali, Abdulmumuni Isa, also confirmed the development to newsmen.
Reacting to the report, Mr Dakka, told DAYLIGHTREPORTERS in Jalingo on Thursday evening that the report was “absolutely false and mischievous.”
He accused NULGE of being the architect of the problem and not being sincere. “It is regrettable that a union that should uphold the principles of accuracy is involved in spreading incorrect information.
He said he inherited the issue at stake when he assumed office and that only 37 persons were affected and he did everything possible to address it.
“When I assumed office, I inherited this problem, and upon inquiry, I discovered that most of the affected individuals were relatives of deceased or retired staff and the replacement were done in collaboration with NULGE.
“Some individuals retired or transferred their service, and instead of removing their names from the payroll, the account numbers of their relatives were fraudulently substituted for their own, making it challenging for banks to pay them.
“When we uncovered this, we ordered the compilation of all affected persons, and out of the 37 names discovered in the fraudulent act, names of eight genuine local government staff mistakenly found their way on the list and are also being affected.
“In February this year, I officially wrote to the Local Government Service Commission, and they provided the names of the affected persons, promising to rectify the issue.
“It is unfortunate that the problem was not rectified in the payment of last month’s salaries, and I am still following up on the issue to ensure its resolution,” he said.
Dakka lamented that “ghost workers” are still receiving monthly salaries in local governments across the state, despite the fact that many workers have retired from the system.
As a result, Dakka asked NULGE officials in the state to help fish out and eliminate ghost workers within the LG system.
“The Governor Agbu Kefas-led administration prioritises the welfare of its workers and has maintained a cordial relationship with workers across board, leading to a harmonious work environment in the state, I appealed to workers in the state to give him all the maximum cooperation”
He then appealed to the genuinely affected staff to remain calm, assuring them that everything possible was being done to address the problem in the shortest time possible.
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