Sallah: Kwara assures payment of salary

The Kwara State government has restated its commitment to ensure payment of workers’ salaries despite drop in financial allocation to the state from federation account.

This is just as it augmented August allocation with N180 million from proceeds of the internally generated revenue.

Speaking with journalists after monthly Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting in Ilorin on Wednesday, the state Commissioner for Finance, who is also the chairman of the committee, Alhaji Demola Banu, said that the August statutory allocation for the 16 local governments in the state stood at N1, 014, 706, 902.57.

He said the state government would augment the August 2016 federal allocation to local government councils in the state with N180 million to ensure that workers’ salaries were paid for the month.

The commissioner explained that the fund was appropriated in line with law guiding the local government account, which he said included; LG and LGEA pension N109 ,255 ,955.11; 10 per cent IGR from the state government N59,400,000.00 among others.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the governor, Dr Muideen Akorede, restated the state government’s commitment to finding a lasting solution to lingering salary crises.

He said that the state government was worried about workers plight, assuring that government would continue to look for a robust solution to the crises, saying that the state government would continue to assist the LGs to ensure payment of salaries.

He said that the state government would continue to place high premium on workers’ welfare.

The governor’s pledge followed a plea by the Chairman, Kwara State Chapter of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Abdullateef Okandeji, for the state government’s intervention on the payment of salaries.

He said the fund was appropriated in line with law guiding the local government account

He said that JAAC was assembly of 16 Local Government chairmen without the inference of state government.

He explained that government has been transparent in disclosing what comes in monthly.