The 2018 Sub-National Salary Survey
A a civic organization, BudgIT, is worried that some states in Nigeria are yet to fully offset the outstanding amounts owed pensioners and civil servants despite series of bailouts aimed at offsetting the liabilities. This, according to the group, was the finding of its recent survey.
In a release signed by Ayomide Faleye, the survey was explained to have been aimed at ascertaining the frequency and magnitude of challenges which civil servants and pensioners are encountering in Nigeria. The survey focused on three different categories of workers in all of Nigeria’s 36 states and identified them as: primary and secondary school teachers, state midwives and state secretariat workers. It also paid attention to ascertaining if retirees at the state level are receiving pensions when due.
The release noted that from the survey carried out, it was discovered that 12 states are yet to offset the amount owed secondary school teachers fully and many states are threatening workers to keep the information away from the public domain.
“Notable among states with outstanding liabilities to secondary teachers are Osun and Kogi states. Osun State has been paying secondary school teachers above grade level 8 only a fraction of their salaries and entitlement for the last 30 months. Cumulatively, Osun state is owing secondary school teachers above level 8 about 15 months salary. Other states with outstanding liabilities to states include Abia, Benue, Bayelsa, Kwara, Imo, Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo and Zamfara. Kogi State, for instance, is owing teachers about 13 months salaries according to the response given by secondary school teachers during the survey.”
“Midwives, whose responsibility includes attending to issues around pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, women’s sexual and reproductive health and newborn care – are also bugged down by issues including failure of some states to pay salaries and emoluments as at when due. Midwives were questioned during the survey across the 36 states. BudgIT discovered that 10 states are owing midwives salaries as at close of business on September 24, 2018.”
“Delta, Imo, Abia, Osun, Plateau, Bayelsa, Ekiti and 11 other states owe Pensioners entitlement ranging from 1 month to 36 months. Almost all pensioners expressed how unhappy they are, their dissatisfaction with the government and how hard it has been for them to survive despite years of hard work in the service”
BudgIT challenged the affected States to offset the outstanding liabilities to their workers and pensioners as funds in form of bailout estimated to be in the region of N1.8 trillion have been issued to states to offset all such outstanding liabilities owed workers.
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