Rabiu Omaku
- I inherited an over bloated wage bill-chairman
The Chairman of Lafia Local Government, Mua’zu Aminu Maifata while reacting to a question by a Journalist over the delay in the payment of September salary attributed the effect to over bloated staff employed by former Council bosses.
“I inherited over bloated wage bill and I’m trying to sanitize the system”, said the executive Chairman who is also the chairman Association of Local Government of Nigeria in a telephone interview confided that the salary shot up from N100m to N200m
The Chairman denied been humiliated by protesting civil servants at the premises of Lafia Local Government penultimate week, saying he was never locked up in the office by protesting staff.
“When and where? Nobody ever locked me up in my office and on the issue of September salary, please inquire from LG various unions’ leaders on their decision as the money earmarked for that purpose is intact in the salary account”.
ALGON Chairman averred that is doing all possible best to start the payment of September salary.
When asked why the Council decided to pay salary of political office holders not the main stream civil servants, Maifata maintained that the salary of political office holders is statutory and would not be tempered with.
“Our salary is coming separate away from salary of workers and again there was an agreement between Lafia Local Government Chairman and the various Unions and we resolved that salary should be kept pending when we got augmentation to avoid percentage payment”.
“Journalist I want to create your indulgence that we have some deductions which we called first-line charges which include 1 percent deduction for staff training, salary to village and district heads, pension while the money was salary was separate, he added.
“The Chairman when asked about the monthly wage bill of Lafia he responded that the wage bill was N100m and the salary was shot up to over N200m.
According to him, are they now saying I should go to any length to source for money at all cost to pay salary? but it wasn’t my fault.
When asked about the monthly Internally Generated Revenue generated by Lafia Local Government, Hon.Aminu Maifata buttressed that N1, 000,000.00 generated as IGR was channeled to the daily running of office which he said include fueling of standby generator.
Three Local Governments in Nasarawa State are in quandary over the payment of September salary to their workers this continued to ignites reactions and protest in the affected Council’s, the Councils are Lafia, Doma and Nasarawa Eggon respectively.
Chairmen of the various Local Government attributed the situation to over bloated staff strength despite series of biometric screening conducted by the past and present administration.
The Chairman House Committee on Local and Chieftaincy affairs, Hon.Muhammed Alkali (APC) representing Lafia East constituency would not be reached for comment as at press time.
