Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has set up a Committee to manage the N14.152 billion being expected from the Central Bank of Nigeria as Federal Government approved Bailout Funds for payment of outstanding salaries in the State.
The seven-member committee is being charged with determining the exact amount the state is owing the public servants in Abia State the actual duration of backlogs owed the workers and to apply the Bailout funds for its original intendment. The committee will also determine any other issue incidental to salary arrears in the state
A statement by Sam Hart, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on public communication said that though the funds were yet to arrive in the State but that the Bailout fund committee will be inaugurated by the Secretary to the Abia State Government by Monday, September 21, ahead of the funds arrival.
“Information available is that the money has been released to the designated Abia State account but it is undergoing normal internal banking processes before it is credited as cash.
“The Governor in keeping with his pledge that the money will be deployed solely for the original intendment of defrayment of salary backlogs has therefore taken this step to ensure that the process of disbursement of the funds is transparent.
“It is also pertinent to note that the Integrated Payroll Verification System which was introduced by the Ikpeazu administration upon assumption of office has so far saved the State over N300million from incidences of Ghost Workers, padding of salaries and other underhand practices during computation of wages.
“The practice in the civil service, whether money is available for payment or not, salaries are computed monthly and sent for payment. Thus, all the outstanding salaries previously computed in the past and sent in without payment which presently constitute the bulk of these backlogs will contain these anomalies and discrepancies that have been observed in recent times.
“It is therefore the work of this committee to take a second look at these outstanding salary claims and pass them through the fine comb that has enabled the state save N300million so that all excesses and irregularities are combed out before payment is made.
“The Okezie Ikpeazu administration is committed to using the bailout funds for the purpose of payment of salary backlogs. But only genuine salary backlogs owed to actual Abia State workers will be paid at the end of the exercise.
“The bailout fund is not free money. It is actually a loan with a 20-year repayment period at low interest rate so the Governor has a responsibility to ensure its judicious utilisation for the benefit of the people of Abia State.
“The Governor has given a commitment that by Friday, October 30, 2015, all outstanding arrears would have been offset. This is therefore a call to all concerned to support the Governor in this noble quest to rid the system of all unscrupulous elements who collude with themselves to defraud the system.
“In the event that any section of the workforce chooses to make trouble in the course of this process, chances are that they are being instigated by the elements who want to stampede the government to pay backlogs that include salaries to Ghost workers and outrageous paddings of salary claims.”
The Bailout fund committee is made up of the representative of the Head of Service of Abia State,. Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abia State Chapter, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Abia State Chapter, state Auditor-General or his Representative, state Accountant General or his Representative, state Statistician-General and Special Adviser to the Governor on Economic Affairs. [myad]
