Date: 2016-12-29

The Kwara State Personnel Database Development Committee has denied claims by the state branch of the National Union of Local Government Workers(NULGE) that the consultant who handled the personnel verification exercise receives 30 per cent of local governments' monthly allocation.

The Committee, in a statement issued in Ilorin on Wednesday, by its alternate chairman, Alhaji Sola Isiaka Gold, described NULGE's claim as false and misleading as the consultant engaged for the exercise has no access to LG allocations nor makes unauthorized deductions from workers' pay.

He said it is impossible to deduct any money from local government's already meager allocation, stressing that the state government was rather augmenting their revenue for salary payment.

Alhaji Gold, who is also Secretary to the State Government, said the only charges on workers' pay is a monthly bank charge which was agreed with representatives of Labour including NULGE, NUT, JNC, TUC and NLC whose officials were members of the Committee.

The state government also debunked NULGE's assertion that the payment of salaries had been contracted to a consultant. Rather, it clarified that the consultant was only supervising the use of the new personnel database until all claims are verified and a final personnel figure is obtained six months from November 2016 when the report was submitted.

While acknowledging the inconvenience suffered by those whose claims are currently being verified, Alhaji Gold said all personnel were given eight months to come forward for verification before the exercise ended.

He however assured that all genuine workers will be verified and paid while urging NULGE to always utilize the channels of communication between it and the government to clarify issues instead of feeding the public with falsehood.