Kwara State government has reacted to the ultimatum issued by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, over the withheld 2024 November salaries of local government workers in the state.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru, in a statement in Ilorin on Tuesday, disclosed that workers yet to be paid were those who have not registered with the state residents registration agency as directed by government since July 2024, or those with other pending issues.

The commissioner said only three percent of the State Universal Basic Education Board teachers and 22, percent of the local government workers were yet to be cleared by the registration agency, while the government had already briefed labour leaders in the state on the matter.

“At least 97% of all the state government’s 18,466 employees have been paid their November salary and bonus.

“97% of the SUBEB teachers and employees have been paid their salary for the month, while the pending 3% are those without KWSRRA bonafides.

“For the Local Government Areas, 77% of the workforce has been paid, while 23% remaining are those who have not complied with the KWSRRA requirements,” the statement added.

DAILY POST recalls that the state chapter of the labour movement on Tuesday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the state government to pay the withheld salaries of the local government workers or risk industrial strike action.

A statement by the union chapter’s Secretary, Comrade Isiah Elachochi Eugene, noted that about 75 percent of the workers in the state, mostly employees of the 16 local government areas, were yet to be paid their November salaries.

Those affected, according to the statement, include workers under the banner of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, and National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM.

Kwara govt reacts to LG workers’ withheld November salaries