The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has made it clear that it will resist all attempts by state governors to borrow from pension funds. President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba made this statement in Abuja yesterday during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWN), saying as it was only less than 5% of these governors is contributing to the said fund.
Wabba in his statement said, “We will not agree for governors to dip their fingers into the pension funds. As I speak, less than five percent of the whole states of the federation are contributing to the fund. The governors cannot reap from where they have not to sow Let me sound a note of warning to the government, any day that money is touched; every Nigerian worker will be on the street and will remain there until every kobo is returned. We will protect our hard-earned money. The money belongs to workers. We contributed that money so that when we retire, we will have something to retire to.
The Labour leader explained, “The money is not piled up in one place, but are warehoused in the pension retirement accounts that are operated by the pension fund administrators. So, it is not idling out there. If governors want to borrow money, there are guidelines that have been spelled out on how to borrow to fund infrastructural development. There is always a guarantee by the Federal Government before such action can be taken,”
The NLC leader lamented the level of hardship the authorities inflicted on workers in the country, revealing that of the 36 states of the federation, only 18 states have faithfully implemented the new minimum wage.
Wabba chides the federal government for failing in its responsibility to an extent of allowing market forces to determine the price of petroleum products and electricity tariffs in the country.
According to the NLC chairman, the primary responsibility of every government was the security and welfare of the citizens, he said when the same government has abdicated that responsibility to market forces, the citizen suffers.
Meanwhile, he said the health sector may witness industrial unrest soon since the health workers revealed that their CIVID-19 allowance that was promised by the federal government has become a mirage.
