ALGON’s Silence on New Minimum Wage Stirs Concerns Among Local Government Workers
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has remained silent on the issue of the national minimum wage currently being negotiated by the leadership of organized labor and the Federal Government.
This silence has raised concerns among local government workers about the implementation of the newly approved minimum wage.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 during a meeting with organized labor leaders at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
However, the hope of local government workers was dampened when ALGON did not address the issue in its discussions during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lafia.
The communique issued at the end of the NEC meeting made no mention of the minimum wage.
A top local government worker, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed his worries about ALGON’s silence to a New Telegraph correspondent in Lafia.
He noted that the lack of discussion about the new minimum wage by ALGON executives during the NEC meeting casts doubt on its implementation at the federal and state levels.
“The silence of ALGON executives during its NEC meeting raises doubts about the implementation of the new national minimum wage when it begins at the federal and state levels,” he said.
He called on ALGON’s leadership to clarify the situation for local government workers across the country, stating that keeping silent on the issue raises concerns and uncertainty.
In response to questions from journalists during the NEC meeting, ALGON President Aminu Muazu Maifata emphasized the importance of accountability and prudent management of resources to foster development at the grassroots level.
He assured that local councils would work towards transformation and people-oriented administration.
Maifata dispelled fears of corruption, stating that a template would be established to monitor the conduct of local governments in managing their resources.
He emphasized the overwhelming acceptance of the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy and the commitment to delivering its benefits to the people.
“Nigerians overwhelmingly accepted and welcomed the Supreme Court judgment, so we have no justification for not delivering the benefits of autonomy to our people,” Maifata said.
He further assured that all council chairmen across the country would work diligently to deliver the dividends of democracy to their constituents.
Maifata highlighted that the autonomy granted to local governments would enhance democracy at the grassroots level and empower local authorities to make decisions that positively impact their communities.
Maifata praised President Bola Tinubu for his efforts to ensure that local government councils’ function properly, as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He emphasized that the recent pronouncement by the Supreme Court had made it clear that local government autonomy is now a reality.
“With this pronouncement by the Apex court, we know that everybody has keyed into the judgment delivered. Nigerians are now aware and waiting to see that the pronouncement of the Supreme Court becomes a reality,” Maifata concluded.
The local government workers and the public are now looking to ALGON for a clear stance on the implementation of the new national minimum wage, hoping for a prompt resolution to their concerns.
