Date: 2018-02-10

Chairman of the Kwara State chapter of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr Joshua Olatunji Omokanye has said that staff and pensioners of the 16 local councils in the State received full salary for the month of January, 2018.

Omakanye, who also doubles as the Chairman of Oyun Local Government Area of the State made this known in an interview with journalists on Friday.

He explained that any deduction experienced in the workers' pay was as result of cooperatives deduction and bank loans incurred by the affected workers.

The ALGON Chairman urged the LG workers to always collect their pay slip every month so that they will know the exact reason for any deduction in their wages.

Omokanye also clarified that the peculiar needs of the local councils in terms of running cost, number of vigilantes and traditional rulers caused the disparity experienced in other salary-related payments across the LGs last month.

Meanwhile, the State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has charged all the local government chairmen to always prioritize salary related payments.

Governor Ahmed gave the charge during a meeting with the LG chairmen at the Government House, Ilorin on Thursday.

He acknowledged that the LG employees received full month salary for January and urged the council chair persons to sustain it.

The governor noted that in view of the recent improvement in federal allocation, the LG chief executives must ensure that they pay full month salary to their staff, pensioners, casual workers, vigilantes and statutory payment to traditional rulers.

Alhaji Ahmed also emphasized that the council chairmen must take control of their respective local governments, particularly in the areas of finance, internally generated revenue (IGR) and security.

He added that the State government will continue to assist the councils in terms of IGR reforms to enable them meet more of their obligations.