The Kwara State Government has taken over the responsibility of the payment of salaries of Junior Secondary Schools teachers to ease the burden on the Local Governments in the state.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the State Governor, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, made this known on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ilorin.

Akorede said the payment of JSS teachers' salaries was the responsibility of local government council, adding that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed decided to take over the payment due to paucity of funds in the local governments. The SSA said the state government was not statutorily obliged to pay primary school teachers and Local Government workers at the same time.

Akorede said JSS teachers and local government workers were owed salaries because a bailout fund requested from the Federal Government was not given. He said a meeting between the governor and the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, indicated that such bailout might not be forthcoming again.

Akorede said Osinbajo pointedly told Ahmed that states might not expect any bailout from the Federal Government again because of lack of money. The SSA however said Ahmed had to take a loan of N4.5 billion to help pay the state's workers in anticipation for a bailout, which never came.

He said it became an issue between the bank and the government before an agreement was reached that government would pay the money in instalments. The SSA however described the action of the Social Economic Rights Accountability Project in dragging 11 governors to the International Crime Court for nonpayment of workers' salaries as misplaced.

According to the media aide, SERAP is ignorant of the function of the ICC as the organisation does not know who to take to court and which court to go. Akorede said: "ICC was established to adjudicate on matters or dispute between sovereign nations.

"ICC will not listen to SERAP on issues like this. "SERAP is only seeking undue relevance. "Buhari had said 27 States of the federation owe their workers. "Why is SERAP talking of only 11 of them? "You can see that someone is up to something."