Ghost workers, illegal promotions delay salaries in Nasarawa LGs

Increasing the number of workers, payment to dead employees and promotions have been identified as causes of the delay in payment of salaries to local government staff in Nasarawa State. Chairman of Keana Local Government Area, Alhaji Adamu Adigiza, told Daily Trust that, “inclusion of deceased local government staff in the payroll and illegal promotions […]

Increasing the number of workers, payment to dead employees and promotions have been identified as causes of the delay in payment of salaries to local government staff in Nasarawa State.

Chairman of Keana Local Government Area, Alhaji Adamu Adigiza, told Daily Trust that, “inclusion of deceased local government staff in the payroll and illegal promotions of staff whose salary packages were not captured in the budget of the 13 local government areas are the main reason why nine out of the local governments could not pay staff salaries on time.

“I want to call on everybody to wake up to his responsibility by avoiding these unholy practices for the development of the grassroots, the state and the country in general.”

The local government areas that are buoyant are Keana, Awe, Wamba and Keffi. The non-buoyant LGCs are: Nasarawa, Toto, Kokona, Karu, Obi, Doma, Akwanga, Nasarawa-Eggon and Lafia.

The chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and Chairman of Lafia LGC, the state capital, said, “What the chairman said is true, that is why all local government chairmen agreed with the executive and the legislative arms to screen and verify all local government staff and by extension those in the development areas to ascertain genuine staff and pay them. That will close many loopholes and make the councils to be buoyant.”

The overseer of Lafia East Development Area, Shuaibu Zanwa Buba, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said he appreciated the committee for its effort to intervene and address local government problems in the state and promised to give them maximum support.

Similarly, chairman of the house committee investigating non-payment of June salary in local governments and unnecessary deductions, Barrister Ibrahim Muhammed Alkali (APC) Lafia North said, “Nasarawa State House of Assembly will sanction any local government chairman that undermined its powers and refused to pay June salary as directed by the house.”

It could be recalled hat Governor Abdullahi Sule had disclosed that nine out of the 13 local government areas in the state could not pay salaries.