MSA SOLIDARITY STATEMENT

The workers of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) under the aegis of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) alongside five area councils which include; , Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Bwari of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, embarked on indefinite strike action in the early days of February 2022 over the non-payment of their January 2022 salaries.

The protest gained the maximum support from the rank and file members of the NULGE of the six area councils. In AMAC, the members of the area Council despite all the odds came out en-mass to boldly challenge the FCT Minister Malam Musa Bello for urgent intervention.

The working staff of AMAC under the aegis of NULGE expresses their displeasure over the non-release of December 2021 allocation by FCTA. The protesting workers gathered at the secretariat carrying placards with inscriptions that put forward their demands such as, “FCT Minister, Save Area Council Staff From Hunger, Non-Payment Of January Salary”, “No Salary, No Work,” We Demand Total Release Of Statutory Allocation For Area Councils,” etc.

MSA SUPPORT THE UNION DEMAND AND URGE THE WORKERS NOT TO RELENT IN THEIR DEMANDS FOR BETTER WORKING CONDITION

It is to this background we in the Movement for A Socialist Alternative (MSA) throw our total support behind the striking FCT Local Council Workers’ to press home their demands. We find it despicable that despite the high cost of living in the country including the many challenges such as scarcity of fuel and high cost of transportation being faced by the working people, the government still fails to pay workers salary as at when due.

We in the MSA condemn this attitude of government failure in delaying the payment of workers but are quick to pay salaries of political office holders. We also note that the Local Council Chairmen, councillors and the NULGE FCT chapter met on 16th February 2022 to discuss the non-abatement of the current impasse between the FCT-A and the area councils chairmen in FCT. However, it resulted in a deadlock, thereby making the FCT workers continue to bear the brunt of the economic hardship since the beginning of January. Workers must not relent but press with organising actions.

10 PERCENT AND LG AUTONOMY

Along with the unpaid salaries, there are other issues raised by the union (NULGE), which has not yet been resolved. On the one hand, is the question of 10 per cent of the FCT IRS accruing to the area councils being released with a template of how to pay the area councils the backlog of salaries and arrears. Second is the question surrounding the Local Government Autonomy.

According to NAN, The FCT NULGE President, Ibrahim Kabi, maintained that the only resolution between the local governments and state governments was to grant autonomy to the local governments. He said that this would put an end to the local government being treated as mere Ministry, Department and Agencies of State Government.

It is worth noting that workers in other workplaces in Abuja, recently, embarked on protests and strikes based on bad and irresponsible governance of both the APC and PDP. Just a few days ago, the FCT teachers called off their strike action over similar demand that bothers on the irresponsive administration of the capitalist representatives of the governments.

While we support the workers in their demands for their owed salaries and arrears to be paid, this includes the release of the December allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, the ten per cent of the FCT IRS and the demand for local government autonomy.

We in MSA-Nigeria is of the strong term that the demands of the FCT Area Council workers can only be met only if the resources of the local government can be better controlled and managed by workers, community representatives and market men and women including people in the community. This will help to adequately provide functional services in the six councils of FCT-Abuja.

Added to this, the democratic management of the public funds will help to control the siphoning of public money through unaccounted projects that come with kickbacks into the pocket of the capitalist politicians representing big businesses and interests. With workers and socialist representation in the affairs of government, it will help to control the increase of corruption and kickback.

We are of the voice that the monumental failure of governance at all levels is the anti-poor and pro-rich policies prioritized by all elements of the capitalist ruling class. We, therefore, state that granting autonomy to the local government under the rule of the capitalist oriented government and parties of the PDP and APC will amount to nothing better than the continued exploitation of people and increased levies and unjustifiable taxes.

IMPOSED TAXES AND POOR SOCIAL SERVICES

Despite all of the internally generated revenue through unaccounted levies, taxes, receipts etc into the account of the local government, the salaries of workers working in the local government are not being paid as when due. The larger part of this revenue generated is not judiciously managed, thereby filtering away through corrupt means and inflated projects.

For instance, these revenues are also used in settling hired thugs deployed as AMAC task force in different areas and suburbs of Abuja to collect taxes forcefully. Most of these IGR generated are multiple taxes unaccounted for, which the small and medium business operators in AMAC are forced to pay. If not, they will face a kangaroo court constituted by the capitalist politicians in office to deal with the working masses.

Among the IGR generated and the unjustifiable imposed taxes; these include the trade permit, gaseous permit, operation permit, certificate of habitable properties, mobile advert permit, corporate parking permit, ground rent (market) etc business operators and residents are forced to pay in AMAC. Yet, these IGRs are not used judiciously to provide functional social services adequately.

WHICH WAY OUT?

Just to reiterate, if the local government autonomy will be beneficial to the mass of the working people, it will then require adequate funding of the local government and democratic control and management of the administration of the local government including projects by the elected representatives of workers, farmers, traders, youths, students and the rank and file people in the community.

This will guarantee the judicious spending of the local government resources. Provided any system is put in place, if the local government is not well funded, and democratically controlled by the elected representative of the working people in communities, the end product will be disastrous and will not profer better living for people and residents in Abuja council areas.

The Movement for A Socialist Alternative (MSA) that identified with the striking workers, supports all demands and agitations of the workers for release of their salaries and arrears. We equally use this medium to call on the NLC and TUC to jointly stand shoulder to shoulder with the striking workers for their demands to be granted. We also want to say that the striking workers should charge its leadership to confidently push their interest incontrovertible.

Finally, we call on workers and youths to join us (MSA) campaigning for the re-registration of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), INEC had re-registered despite fulfilling all the electoral requirements. SPN is among the 21 other political parties whose matter is in the Supreme Court for INEC to re-list. SPN is a party formed by workers, trade unions, youth, socialists, and community activists as a party to organise, fight, and ultimately defend the interest of the working masses.

SIGNED

Aj. Dagga Tolar

General Secretary, Movement for A Socialist Nigeria, MSA-NIgeria.