Unpaid salaries saga: NULGE officials debunk Lalong’s allegation against Mutfwang

Contrary to allegations by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State against Caleb Mutfwang, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the State, facts have emerged indicating that the latter did not leave behind a burden of 10 months of unpaid salary when he was removed as chairman of Mangu LGA in July 2015.

DAILY POST recalls that Mutfwang was elected into office as Local Government Chairman on February, 25th, 2014 and sworn in on March 3, 2014, but was removed from office by Governor Lalong in July 2015 barely two months after he (Lalong) took over as governor.

DAILY POST also recalls that Governor Lalong had told the APC faithful recently in Wase Local Government Area, where the party flagged off its campaign, that Mutfwang left office with 13 months unpaid salaries.

Lalong also boasted that he has documents showing that Mutfwang left office with 10 months of unpaid salaries.

But checks at the Local Government Service Commission revealed that Local Government workers in Mangu received their 2015 salaries on January 29, March 27 for (February) and June 6 (for March) when Caleb Mutfwang was still serving his tenure. April and May salaries were paid on July 16 and 25 respectively, a few days after the tenure of local government chairmen in the state was terminated illegally by Governor Lalong on July 6, 2015.

DAILY POST also learnt that the responsibility of preparing and paying workers’ salaries was entrusted to the Local Government Service Commission during the period under review, and was not the duty of local government chairmen as alleged by Lalong.

Investigations also revealed that the delay in the prompt payment of salaries at that period was a result of the biometric screening exercise which was introduced by the Plateau State Government to fish out ghost workers and sanitise public service.

Corroborating these facts, the chairman of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Mangu Local Government Area from 2010 to 2016, Bitson Alexander, avowed that the delay in payment of salaries was due to biometric screening exercise. He described as untrue the rumour making the rounds that Caleb Mutfwang left office with 10 months of unpaid salaries.

He said: “To the best of my memory, I collected my salary in January 2015 and got that of February in the same month. It was around March that we started experiencing delays in the payment of salaries but the last salary I collected when Mutfwang was in office was March salary which was paid in early June 2015 while that of April and May were paid in July, a few days after they were removed from office.”

Alexander further said: “To my knowledge, the salary that I did not collect was about two months before his tenure was terminated in July and the delay was probably due to the biometric exercise. I want to say that salary issues were handled by Local Government Service Commission through a centralized payment system, therefore, the local government chairmen were not responsible for the delay in the payment of salaries.”

Daniel Bitrus, another NULGE member from the Medical and Health Union who served in Mangu between 2015 and 2020, also said he did not remember Mutfwang leaving behind 10-month salary arrears as alleged on social media.

“I know that we used to have issues with payment of salary which is still there up till now. There are occasions that if you want to pay salary for this month, it has to stretch into the following month for about two weeks,” he stated.

He added: “Therefore if somebody said Mutfwang left 10 months unpaid salaries, I don’t think he is realistic. I remember that Mutfwang too inherited one month’s unpaid salary of health workers and it was cleared during his time.”

According to him: “He (Mutfwang) is somebody we know who is sincere and straightforward; we enjoyed a harmonious working relationship with him as chairman.”

Isaac Dapul who was chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, when Mutfwang was in office also provided clarity on the salary arrears issue.

“The issue that Barr. Caleb Mutfwang did not pay salaries for 10 months is not true,” he said and further affirmed that there was neither strike nor protest on account of non-payment of salary during Mutfwang’s tenure.

“The delay in salaries payment are things that are inherited from successive governments but it is not true that Mutfwang did not pay teachers or staff salaries for 10 months,” he stated.

Meanwhile, local government staff in Mangu LGA gave Mutfwang a rousing welcome during the PDP town hall engagement with the people, where civil servants in the state were promised better working conditions and prompt payment of salaries.