Date: 2016-08-19

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Kwara State chapter, has said it will resist any attempt by the Kwara State Government to centralise the payment of salaries of LG workers in the state.

It also said that it would resist any move to contract out the payment of LG workers' salaries to a consultant, saying this was a violation of the provision of the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

According to a statement by the state Secretary of NULGE, Mr. Afolabi Abayomi, which was made available our correspondent in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Thursday, the union stated that the 1999 Constitution made provision for the functions of the LG councils.

But the Kwara State Government in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said there was no plan to centralise the salary payment or hand it over to a consultant. Afolabi called on traditional rulers to wade into the alleged plan to centralise the salary payment and contract it to a consultant.

He said, "The attention of State Administrative Council of NULGE, Kwara State branch, has been drawn to a purported attempt by the Kwara State Government to centralise the payment of salaries of LG workers in Kwara State and further contract it to a consultant." But, Akorede, in the statement, said the state government had no intention to contract the payment of the salaries of any category of workers to any consultant or private body.