The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has honoured Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, with the award of Best Governor on Local Government Reforms in Nigeria.
The award was presented in Yenagoa by NULGE National President, Comrade Aliyu Kankara, during a conference themed “Promoting Local Government Workers’ Welfare: The Bayelsa Model.”
Comrade Kankara highlighted Governor Diri’s achievements in transforming the local government system through fiscal policy reforms that repositioned the third tier of government for better service delivery, improved staff welfare, regular promotions, and financial incentives.
He praised the implementation of an N80,000 minimum wage for council workers, additional salary increases of 25 and 30 percent, and the government’s support to councils in paying primary school teachers’ salaries. According to him, these initiatives have greatly improved the morale of workers across the state.
Kankara also described as unprecedented the prompt payment of pensions and gratuities to local government retirees, noting that Bayelsa is the first state in the country to pay retirement benefits immediately after service.
“The Governor of Bayelsa State has excelled where many other state governors have failed in human capital development by prioritising the welfare of workers in the state, particularly those at the grassroots level. From available information, Governor Diri’s administration has paid over N20 billion as arrears of gratuities to retired workers since 2020,” he stated.
Also speaking, the National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Dr. Kabir Sani, commended the governor for improving the lives of local government workers in Bayelsa, including members of his union.
Responding, Governor Diri said that prompt payment of salaries and gratuities should be seen as a duty, not a favour, insisting that such actions were among the reasons he was elected in the first place.
He recalled that he was initially accused of trying to score cheap political points when he began clearing the gratuity backlog, which dated as far back as 2007. Diri explained that the challenges he met on assuming office necessitated sweeping reforms, as many local councils were heavily indebted and depended on state bailouts.
The governor said his broader vision for government was to secure livelihoods, ensure food sufficiency, and boost revenue generation. He reaffirmed his directive to council chairmen to embark on farming based on their areas of comparative advantage to improve food supply in the state.
“The moment you retire at 60 or 65, you become a senior citizen and are entitled to your gratuity. In other climes, this is taken for granted, so we should not celebrate it,” Diri stated.
“Initially, some persons queried my decision to start paying gratuities immediately, saying previous administrations did not do so. I reminded them that my father was a teacher and headmaster, and if not for the opportunity I have today, he would have died without receiving his pension and gratuity.
“With that in mind, one of my first priorities was to clear the backlog of gratuities. I recall that in one particular month, when we had a windfall in allocation, I directed that N7 billion be used to pay gratuities and pensions,” the governor added.
With the latest round of payments clearing a N12 billion backlog, Bayelsa has further solidified its reputation as a model state for local government reforms and workers’ welfare under Governor Diri’s leadership.
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