We’ll Ensure Gov-elect Sule Succeeds – NULGE Pledges
BY BABA AHMED, LAFIA – The Nasarawa State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has pledged its support for governor-elect, Engineer Abdullahi Sule to succeed in re-engineering massive development in the state.
State Chairman of NULGE, Abdullahi Abubakar said the Union is determined to back the in-coming administration’s quest to ensure that going forward; Nasarawa State works for the overall good of the people
He said NULGE will be a ready partner in the implementation of people-oriented policies that promote development through harmonious working relationship between Local government workers and the State’s new administration.
Abubakar, who spoke with newsmen in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, said as the engine room of every administration, local government workers would bring their expertise and experience to bear on the administration of AA Sule.
He urged the in-coming administration to place priority on the training and re-training of local government staff as well as creating an enabling environment for them to excel in their responsibilities as vehicles of grassroots development in the State.
According to the Union boss, NULGE would engage the administration in fashioning out ways of settling the backlog of salary arrears due to the percentage payment accumulated between year 2015 and 2018.
Abubakar also appealed to Engineer Abdullahi Sule, elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s platform, to establish a local government Pension Bureau aimed at easing payment to pensioners and retirees in the state.
Maintaining that the system would also make it easier to detect any fraudulent act within the pension sector, Abubakar said; “We will sit with the Governor-elect after inauguration to see how we can come up with workable solutions to upset the salary arrears without any problem”
“The administration of Al-makura had equally done its best. So, we will always engage the in-coming administration and find solutions that will also ensure A.A Sule succeed”, he said.
The NULGE chairman equally charged the new administration to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort in ensuring autonomy for the local government as way of bringing sanity to the third tier of government.
He stated that autonomy for the local government would create an enabling environment for development and peaceful co-existence while also reducing crime rate at the grassroots.
“If autonomy is granted to the local government, it will reduce crime rate because the Council Chairman will use the available resources at his disposal to attend to emergence situation’
“But for now, Councils’ chairmen always have to make sometimes fruitless efforts to get resources from the State governments and before that is done the damage will have been done”, Abubakar submitted.
The Union Chairman also challenged local government workers in the state to be responsible and productive as well as offer the required support to the in-coming administration for socio-economic growth and development in the state
