Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, has blamed a lingering court order for the ongoing salary delay affecting council staff and health workers.
In a statement to Abuja Metro on Saturday, Giri disclosed that a contractor, to whom the council is indebted, obtained a garnishee order that froze the council’s bank accounts halting salary disbursement for the past three months. He assured that the impasse is being resolved, and payments could resume by Monday or Tuesday.
The salary crisis triggered swift action from the FCT branch of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), which shut down the council secretariat and all public health facilities last Thursday. The union, led by Comrade Abdullahi Ibrahim Kabi, accused the council of ignoring workers’ welfare and vowed not to back down until all arrears are cleared.
Chairman Giri appealed for calm, stressing that the delay was beyond the council’s control. He noted that negotiations are ongoing with the aggrieved contractor to lift the court order and restore operations.
Meanwhile, residents of Gwagwalada are feeling the heat. With health centres closed, many say they’re left without access to essential care. Locals are calling on both the union and the council to urgently find common ground and end the hardship.
