The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says the Independence Day speech by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami, is full of deceptive promises.
The labour union said the promises contained in his speech did not reflect the reality on ground.
The state NLC Chairman, Usman Murtala, stated this in a statement on Thursday in Birnin Kebbi.
Murtala, who described Mr Malami’s pledges to Kebbi workers as mere political statements, said his address was aimed at deceiving citizens with issues already addressed by the Kebbi government.
“Let us set the records straight. On his pledge on prompt payment of gratuities and pensions for retirees in Kebbi, Malami is either not in Kebbi or not following events concerning retired civil servants.
“Every reasonable Kebbi indigene is aware that since Gov Idris came on board, he has never delayed payment of gratuities to retired civil servants. The records are in the public domain.
“Pensioners in Kebbi are living witnesses; they know that there has been prompt payment of pensions without any backlog or delay. Often, pensioners receive payment before serving workers in the state. So, we view his claim or pledge as a plot to gain public or workers’ sympathy,” he said.
On the new minimum wage of N110,000 proposed by Malami, the NLC leader stated that “The Kebbi government is paying above the federal government’s N70,000 benchmark, as Kebbi pays N75,000 consolidated with leave grants.
“No state in the federation is paying the minimum wage Kebbi State is paying. Therefore, to pledge N110,000 as a new minimum wage is nothing but a mere political statement,” he said.
On the public transport pledge for workers, the NLC noted that Malami deliberately failed to mention the recently launched Kebbi Transport Authority, designed to ease transportation challenges for all people in Kebbi, including workers commuting from their villages to the state secretariat.
In the area of housing, Murtala said workers were already set to get affordable housing as work had reached an advanced stage on over 700 housing units approved by the governor before Mr Malami’s Independence Day broadcast.
The NLC added that in the health sector, over 1,800 new health workers had been employed across the state and local governments to boost healthcare delivery.
He said primary education had also received proper attention with the recent approval and implementation of responsibility allowances and consequential adjustments in salaries.
Murtala noted that to decongest pupils in primary and secondary schools across the state, the Idris administration built over 200 schools, renovated existing ones with furniture, and employed 2,000 professional teachers, “which the opposition is aware of” but refused to admit.
He said, “Ordinarily, the NLC does not join issues with politicians, but it is imperative that certain issues the ADC candidate raised in his speech were a direct attack on the union which had been fighting for the rights of workers.
“Maybe he is not aware or probably did not fact-check that promotions of workers have always been implemented alongside yearly increments for Kebbi workers.”
He, however, wished the people of Kebbi State a happy Independence Day celebration and urged politicians to cross-check their facts before making public statements.