Nasarawa: Commissioner for LG explains difficulty in payment of workers’ salaries

Abubakar Lawal

Following a shortfall from the federation account in the month of August, Local Government staff in Nasarawa state will be paid 82% salaries for the month of August.

This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Comrade, Aliyu Turaki in an interview with journalists in his office.

“It is touching that LGs may likely not going to pay salaries hundred percent as a result of drop from federation allocation.”

Though, he said that, “payment of salary and pension is a sole responsibility of council chairmen, therefore, we as ministry could do
nothing about it.

“Our own is to coordinate and to be frank with you, what comes from Abuja will not pay salaries and we have to source money feom somewhere to augment before we arrived on the percentage I told you earlier. ’

While shedding more light on the issue of pensioners at the LGs level, Comrade Turaki with pains in his eyes said, “I sympathise with our Pensioner’s based on the fact that what came in will not settle salary, how much less will retirees be paid their gratuity?, he added.

He also pointed out that before now there was a gentleman agreement between the Commissioner of Justice in his office and ALGON as well as leaders of Pensioners which he was present that each local council should contribute N10 million amounting to N130 million monthly for payment of gratuity.

According to him, “after series of discussion, we reached a position that every, Local Government will contribute two million naira every month and by calculation, it will give a total sum of twenty six million naira.

“Since I assumed office as Commissioner in this ministry, there was never a time that statutory allocation came from Abuja that was enough to pay salaries.”

Comrade, Turaki lamented saying that it would be difdicult to pay a hundred percent pension.

He further explained that they supposed to be given N236 million as their contribution, “but what we are expected to pay them is 100% which is almost N437 million with shortage of N170 million which the does not have to augment”, he explained.