Edo council workers protest non-payment of 9 month salaries

Edo Council Protesters

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Edo Council Protesters

Hundreds of local government council workers in Edo State on Tuesady took to the streets of Benin, the state capital, protesting the non-payment of their salaries.

The protesters under the umbrella of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), who were all dressed in black attires, were armed with placards with various inscriptions such as “We are slaves in our father’s land; Denying us our salaries is evil; Our salary is our right.”

Human and vehicular movement was hampered as the protest caused hevy traffic grid on several majour roads in the city.

It was gathered that only three out of 18 local government councils in the state, namely, Esan South East, Owan East and Estako East, have paid salaried of their workers up to date, while the 15 others are owing workers salaries ranging from five to nine months.

Related News

Edo Council Protesters

Speaking to journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Center in Benin, President of the state NULGE, Edward Ilenikhena, said they decided to take to the streets after several negotiations with government officials failed, adding that members of the Union will continue the protest across the three senatorial districts.

He decried payment of salaries to teachers and other non-teaching staff of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), from local governments’ monthly allocations.

“We are here to register our neglect. We went on strike and they called us trouble makers. We will do mass protest every Tuesday and senatorial protest on Thursdays,” Ilenikhena said.

The State Commissioner for Establishment and Special Duties, Comrade Didi Adodo, who attributed the non-payment of salaries to short fall in allocation from the federation account, however absolved the state government of complicity in the issue, saying that the state government was not responsible for paying local government salaries.

Load more