By Rabiu Omaku, Lafia
With the bitten effect of economic meltdown affecting the payment of Local Governments in Nasarawa state, The state chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Hon.Suleiman Wambai has open the can of worms surrounding the backlog of three months salaries owned worker’s at the third tier of Government.
ALGON chairman gave the hint at a press briefing held at the state ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, He further buttressed that the thirteen Local Governments collected an overdrafts of N1.450m to augment council salaries.
“We collected an overdraft of N550m and N950m to bail out the third tier of Government”.
He lament over the bulkiness of charges by banks, Other sources of fund used by the third tier of Government to pay staff salary also include Sure-P fund and excess crude account accrued to Local Governments are also used for the execution of project’s.
Hon. Wambai faulted successive Local Government headship for illegal recruitment of workers, describing the situation as unfortunate at the moment.
“Time shall come that Local Governments would not be able to pay 10 percent from the 73 percent paid to workers; He however maintained that there is no intention to retrench workers”.
The ALGON chairman asserted that the 73 percent allotted to Local Government workers may improve pending on the improvement in monthly grant accrued to Local Governments.
He listed some of the bankrupt Councils to includes Lafia, Doma,Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon.
“We reached an extent that Toto, Nasarawa and Obi joined the four troubles councils, this was extended again to the well to do councils namely Awe, Wamba, Keana and Kokona”.
If the change we were promised is not imminent, then the dividends we have hitherto been enjoying should not be denied please.