FCT NULGE demands audit of LEAs

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Abubakar Alhassan Yakub, has called for an audit of the Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in the six area councils. Yakub, while speaking during an interview with our reporter in Abaji yesterday, at the backdrop of the suspension of strike […]

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Abubakar Alhassan Yakub, has called for an audit of the Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in the six area councils.

Yakub, while speaking during an interview with our reporter in Abaji yesterday, at the backdrop of the suspension of strike by area council staff over non-payment of minimum wage, said leakages in the wage bill of staff of the LEAs necessitate the audit.

He said it was questionable that in the last three or four years, LEA staff salary has remained N1.2 billion every month despite the fact that some staff members must have died while some retired.

“So I wonder why for the past three to four years, LEA staff monthly salary has remained N1.2 billion. Does it mean that nobody has died or retired?” he asked.

He added “So we feel an audit needs to be carried out to clean that area so that funds can be saved to address the minimum wage issue.”

He said the other fundamental issues the union raised during a meeting with the members of the national assembly representing the FCT was also non-remittance of 10 percent by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Inland Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) to the six area councils.

“And by law, the FCT-IRS is supposed to give the area councils not less than ten per cent of whatever they have generated. The 10 percent that the FCTA gives to the area council as IGR is from government MDAs,” he said.

Yakub said the January 2021 date for the implementation of the minimum wage as agreed by the six area council chairmen remained sacrosanct, and there would be no issue of reneging on the implementation of the minimum wage.

He said all the issues raised at the meeting with the national assembly members are part of findings made during the ministerial committee meeting with the FCT Minister of State, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu.