Ekiti LG Workers Begin Strike Thursday

Victor Ogunje

Irked by Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose’s alleged lukewarm attitude towards the payment of arrears of their salaries, local government workers in the state are proceeding on an indefinite strike.

Acting under the aegis of the Ekiti State Council of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the workers said the industrial action would commence from August 23.

Their decision to stay away from work was reached at an emergency

NULGE State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held last Friday at the union secretariat in Ado Ekiti.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, a copy of which was made available to the media yesterday, the state NULGE condemned Fayose’s intention to employ 2,000 new workers when those who are already in the system are being owed arrears of salaries.

According to the communique, “The Ekiti State branch NULGE at its meeting held on August 17, 2018, wish to remind the government that out of the four demands of the union in its communique issued on July, 25, 2018, only one of them was partially attended to; which is less than five per cent of our total demands.

“The union wishes to reiterate that in spite of our agitation, the government only paid up to December 2017 salary while seven months are yet unpaid.

“It is evident now that the government is insensitive to the workers’ plight because the union has it on good authority that the government is planning to add to the burden of the local governments by recruiting more hands into the teaching sector.

“In view of the above, the State Executive Council (SEC) in session, therefore, directs all members of the union to stay at home indefinitely fromAugust 23, 2018, until further directive by the union.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said the prevailing education system in Nigeria has not enabled the youths to discover their talents and effectively deploy such to their advantage.

He stated that overhauling the curriculum would be key to combating the present scourge of unemployment in the country.

According to Dogara, education must be practical and goal-driven