Subsidy: Zulum Allocates 30 Buses To Ease Worker Transportation, Give NLC N2 Billion For Loan

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno statehas approved the allocation of 30 buses to ease transportation and ,presented a cheque of two billion naira (N2b) to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, in Borno State for disbursement of interest-free loans to eligible workers with repayment period of 24 months all
cushion the effects of hardship as a result of fuel subsidy removal,

Announcing the allocation of the buses and the presentation of the N billion.loan scheme at a meeting between NLC and the Governor at the Government House, Maiduguri yesterday, Governor Babagana Zulum said the 30 buses is to be dedicated to conveying workers in the metropolis at subsidized fares. .

Zulum said the buses are to be managed by the Borno Express Transport Corporation but to be deployed at pick up points along major routes to move workers to the Musa Usman secretariat in the morning and return them by evening from the secretariat to where they where picked in the morning.

Also presenting the cheque of N2 billion to the NLC chairman Borno state, Comrade Yusuf Inuwa , Zulum said the N2 billion.interest free loan is to be given to workers in Borno state.

The NLC chairman led his members to a meeting which took place at the council chambers of the Government House in Maiduguri., where Governor Zulum asked the NLC to complete talks with state’s ministry of finance to determine category of workers to be entitled to the loans as well the loan recovery through monthly deductions of not more than one third of salaries

The Governor also announced 100% increase in monthly releases for payment of gratuities’ backlog. The payment was increased from N100 million monthly which equals N1.2 billion annually to N200 million monthly which will amount to N2.4 billion.

The gratuities are lump sums paid workers who retired from service, even as they become entitled to monthly pensions.

For many years, retired workers in Borno State are owed gratuities for which Governor Zulum has released about N20 billion to drastically reduce the backlog even though more workers retire every year, making more of them to owed gratuities.

Although many are owed gratuities, Governor Zulum has since introduced a policy of automatic migration of retired workers from salaries to pensions. Before the policy, it took retired workers months to complete documentation before getting monthly pension while they wait for gratuities which takes longer waiting time.

Also during the meeting, Governor Zulum has directed the state’s ministry of finance to clear backlogs of promotional benefits owed workers whose names where omitted during earlier payments.

The workers were those still being owed 2016, 2017 and 2018 promotional benefits after their names where omitted during payments approved by Governor Zulum in 2019.

Zulum directed that workers owed 2019 and 2020 promotional benefits should all be paid while those owed from 2021 to date are to be paid based on outcome of a recent promotional exam which they participated in.

Earlier, the Borno state chairman of the NLC , Comrade Yusuf Inuwa said the NLC demanded loans for workers who may want to do agricultural and other businesses or acquire some assets.

Comrade Inuwa also said the NLC demanded allocation of buses and clearing of promotional benefits. Inuwa also said the labout demanded increase in the monthly allocation for payment of mentions.

While appreciating Governor Zulum for meeting top of their demands, the NLC chairman hope that the labour will continue engaging the Government for more demands to be addressed for the welfare of workers at the state and local government levels.