Mimiko disburses multimillion naira loan, promotion letter to Local government workers

Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, addressing delegates a5 the2nd Special National Delegates Conference ofNULGE,
at the International Events Center - The Dome, in Akure, onThursday.

As part of the determination of his administration to continue to put smile on the faces of its citizenry and ease them of the burden of the economic woes of the nation, the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, on Thursday, distributed cheques of loans worth millions of naira to some local government workers in the state.

The Governor also presented promotion letters to some of the 3000 local government workers who have been promoted in the 2016 local government promotion exercise.

Mimiko, during the disbursement of the loans at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Special National Delegates Conference of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), at the International Events Center – The Dome, in Akure,  assured that his administration in spite of the economic recession, will continue to grant loans to workers across the eighteen local government areas of the state at very low interest rates.

He lamented the present state of the Nigerian economy which has drastically reduced Federal Allocations to the state, stressing that workers in Ondo State had been getting their salaries promptly before the fall in allocation.

While saying that all avenues to ensure that salaries are paid regularly are being worked out, Governor Mimiko further explained his administration’s efforts to improve the welfare of the local government workers, and this he said prompted the appointment of three Administrative Officers from the Local Government Service in 2009 and were later re-designated as permanent secretaries.

Mimiko however lauded the Local Government workers in the state for responding positively to the motivations from government through productive partnership for progress, development of local government service and peaceful industrial harmony in the state.

The State Commissioner for Natural Resources and the supervising Commissioner for the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Tunde Atere disclosed that Ondo State Government had engaged in capacity building for workers in the Local Government Councils in the state while over 569 NULGE members also benefitted from the N180 million loans disbursed by the State Government.

According to him, the loan to these local government workers ranged from N100 million to N500 million, assuring of government’s resolve to sustain the loan scheme to the workers.

Addressing the conference, the National President of NULGE, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel noted that no leader could singlehandedly fight corruption war and win without the supports other well meaning members of the public.

While assuring the supports and cooperation of his union to the course of nation building, Comrade Khaleel called on the Federal Government to release money to fund the economy, pointing out that diversification alone cannot work without adequate funds to run the economy.

In her goodwill message at the occasion, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Bosede Daramola who commended the Ondo State Government for its prompt response to the issues of workers in the state, lamented the economic hardship currently being experienced by workers as a result of none payment of backlog of salary and pension arrears.

She lamented that workers were at receiving end of the negative implications of increase in the price of petroleum products.

Earlier in his welcome address, the president of NULGE in Ondo State, Comrade Olubunmi Eniayewu lauded the national leadership of the union for holding the conference in the state, saying that it would serve as a veritable platform to showcase the laudable achievements of Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration in the various sectors of the economy.

Comrade Eniayewu who commended the Ondo State Government for the regular promotion of his members in addition to the various welfare packages, also disclosed that NULGE members were appointed supervising councillors in the 18 local government areas of the state, described it as unprecedented in the history of Ondo State for local government workers to enjoy such privilege.