…Organised Labour Hails Governor’s Swift Action
MAIDUGURI — Civil servants across Borno State are celebrating following the payment of leave grants and promotional benefits covering three years, barely a week after Governor Babagana Umara Zulum directed the immediate release of the entitlements.
The payments began hitting workers’ bank accounts on Thursday and continued through the weekend, sparking jubilation among civil servants across the state.
The payment followed Governor Zulum’s recent directive for the immediate settlement of the outstanding entitlements.
The approval was granted after a meeting between the governor and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
The meeting, held on August 17, followed the submission of a proposal by the Office of the Head of Service for the governor’s consideration.
Zulum subsequently directed the immediate implementation of promotional benefits for all civil servants for 2023, 2024 and 2025, as well as the payment of leave grants to all entitled civil servants for the 2025 session.
The governor also ordered a review of salary arrears owed to secondary and tertiary education staff, with a view to implementing the payment by September 2026.
Since assuming office in 2019, Zulum has consistently placed workers’ welfare, pensioners and the settlement of entitlements owed to families of deceased civil servants among the priorities of his administration.
His administration has introduced a number of measures covering salaries, pensions and gratuities, health insurance, promotions and transportation.
Among the interventions are the release of N8 billion to clear pension and gratuity liabilities accrued between 2019 and 2021 for retired primary school teachers and other civil servants.
The administration also approved N5.8 billion to settle outstanding gratuities owed to families of deceased civil servants and pensioners, as well as a monthly allocation of N200 million for the payment of outstanding gratuities.
Other interventions include the implementation of a health insurance scheme for workers.
Governor Zulum has repeatedly pledged to settle all outstanding workers’ entitlements before the end of his tenure.
Organised Labour Hails Zulum
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Yusuf Inuwa, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Comrade Mohammed Baba, have commended Governor Zulum for the swift payment of the leave grants and promotional benefits.
The labour leaders also praised the governor for the consistent and prompt payment of monthly salaries, pensions and other entitlements throughout his tenure.
“We would like to commend the Governor for the prompt payment of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 promotional benefits and leave grants. Less than one week after the Governor’s directive, the payments hit the accounts of civil servants,” Inuwa and Baba said.
“Zulum is a listening Governor. Whenever we present him with workers’ demands, he addresses them immediately. This demonstrates his commitment to civil servants’ welfare,” they added.
