Ndiolu MFB: PDP Knocks Obiano Over Forceful, Illegal Deductions From Workers’ Salary
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Anambra government to return money forcefully deducted from workers in the state for the purpose of recapitalising Ndi-Olu Micro Finance Bank (NDMFB) Limited.
Chief Ndubisi Nwobu chairman of PDP in Anambra made the call at a news conference in Awka on Friday said the state government ordered a 3-months deduction of varying percentages of workers’ salaries for the banks recapitalisation.
Nwobu quoted a memo purportedly written by the Head of Service on March 8, 2021, where the Accountant -General and Secretary of JAAC were directed to make such deductions as “contributions to the stabilisation of the troubled bank”.
Nwobu said the memo may have arisen following Central Bank of Nigeria directive to all micro finance banks in the country to raise their capital base before April 30.
According to Nwobu the memo directed percentage deductions as follow: Level 1-3, N500; Level 4-7, N1 200; Level 8, N2,300; Level 9-10, N2,250 and Levels 12-13, N4 500, Levels 14-16, N5000; and level 17-N5,200.
“The PDP is genuinely concerned about the welfare of Anambra State civil servants who are coerced to part with certain percentages of meagre take home salaries.
“One begins to wonder why the workers whose salaries were deducted from March will continue to be exploited for three months when the CBN’s directive was meant to be implemented before April 30.
“It is on record that Anambra State Civil Servants belong to the class of least paid workers in Nigeria.
“What a responsible and responsive government should be doing now is to think of what to do to alleviate the suffering of the workers and not making things harder for them through illegal deductions from their salaries.
.The Anambra State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shares the pains of our workers and condemn the APGA governments exploitative tendencies in it’s entirety.
“We demand that the deducted money from the workers salaries be returned immediately and assure Anambra people in general and civil servants in particular of better deal under a PDP controlled administration,” he said.
In a reaction, Mr Jerry Nnubia, Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress in Anambra said the union was aware of the deduction which was a product of Memorandum of Understanding reached after series of deliberations between labour and the bank.
Nnubia said part of the understanding was that the workers would become automatic shareholders in ratio to the amount they contributed.
According to him, the bank is our (workers’ bank) we agreed that it should not go under and had a lot off meetings before reaching the agreement.
“It is not a government policy, they came in because they are the pay master and the circular was based on the MoU between us and the bank.
