By Lawan Sunday, Lafia
The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, has stated that following financial autonomy granted local governments, only four of the thirteen in the state can pay full salaries of workers.
The Speaker made this known on Monday after the Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali(APC-Lafia North) presented an interim report of the committee during the House proceedings in Lafia.
He said: “It was also found out that by the allocation of June 2019, only four local governments in the state can comfortably pay their salaries 100 per cent”.
“These are Awe, Keffi, Keana and Wamba and the other nine local governments cannot pay, due to paucity of funds compared to their wage bills,” he added.
The committee investigating non payment of June salary to local government staff and other unnecessary deductions of local government funds, has discovered enormous financial irregularities in the local government system in the state.
Speaking on the discoveries made by the committee, the Speaker added that the issue is affecting the entire state and directed the chairmen of the 13 local governments in the state to pay salaries this week unfailingly.
“This report revealed 13 areas of concern and abnormalities such as indiscriminate promotions and implementations of promotions, duplication of names in the pay vouchers.
“Names of retired and deceased staff continue to exist in the payment voucher of local governments and same in development areas.
Balarabe-Abdullahi urged the committee to find a lasting solution to the problems of local government system in the state in the interest of peace and development.
Earlier, Alkali while presenting the interim reports sought for additional time to enable the committee complete its assignment.
“We are yet to meet the management of the state Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Pension Board on the matter due to time factor.
“There are a lot of discoveries made by the committee while discharging our assignment,” he said.
