KWARA STATE government has condemned the decision of the Social Economic Rights Accountability Project, SERAP, to drag 11 governors to the International Crime Court, ICC, for non-payment of workers' salaries describing the action as misplaced. Speaking through the Senior Special Assistant, SSA, on Media and Communications to the State Governor; Dr Muyideen Akorede, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said 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.

"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 of eleven of them? You can see that someone is up to something, "Akorede quoted the governor. Meanwhile, 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.

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

Akorede said that JSS teachers and local government workers were owed salaries because a bailout fund requested from the federal government was not given. He said that a meeting between the governor and the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, indicated that such bailout might not be forthcoming again. Akorede said that Osinbajo pointedly told the governor that states might not expect any bailout from the federal government again because of lack of money.

The SSA however, said that Ahmed had to take a loan of N4.5billion to help pay the state's workers in anticipation for a bailout which never came. He said that it became an issue between the bank and the government before an agreement was reached that government would pay the money in instalments.