By Sunday Lawan, Lafia
Nasarawa state Accountant General, Mr Zakka Yakubu has recommended a downward review of the over-bloated salaries of civil servants in the state in order to provide the needed infrastructure and other services to the people of the state.
Zakka made the call on Thursday in Lafia when he led other management staff of the state ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning on a familiarization visit to the State House of Assembly committee on Finance and  Appropriation.  He has disclosed that the state pay highest salary in the whole of Northern Nigeria, while advocating for measures to address that as according to him civil servants in the state constitute only 4% of the total population.
“I made it known that in Nasarawa State, we pay the highest salary in the whole of the north, we pay salary more than Federal Capital.
“Take for instance, level 13 officer in Nasarawa State is collecting almost N142,000 to N148,000 while in Federal Capital is N93,000 which is the same level.
“We civil servants constitute only 4% and government is all about services, How can we render services to our people.
” They need infrastructure, they need other services and we have over-bloated our salary.
“When we received allocation from the federation  account ,the whole of its goes to salary, we have a long way to go,” he said.
The accountant general also called for upward review of market and other revenue rates in order to boost the state Internally Generated Revenue(IGR).
“Our revenue rate are too poor, Something need to be done as the cost of producing receipt is more than collections.
” Most of the rates have to be reviewed if actually we need to generate revenue, take for instance market receipt N10 is still there and you go to court to swear an affidavit , you pay higher and what is on the receipt is N200 and they will charge you N1000,” he said.
The accountant general further advocated for reduction in the fees of Nasarawa state University, Keffi to enable children of the poor parents have access to university education.
Earlier, Mr Aliyu Daogara (APC-Wamba), the Chairman of the committee said that the committee have decided to invite the Accountant General and  ministry of finance in order to familiarise themselves and to get brief  on the ministry’s activities.
He urged the accountant general to prepare a budget of reality for the 2020 fiscal year in the interest of development