POLITICS

Local government salary arrears: Edo, Delta governors insists state cannot pay LGA workers’ salaries for obvious reasons.

By Fred Latimore

In Delta State, South-South Nigeria, members of the major opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been relying extensively on the salary arrears owed local government workers as a major tool of political propaganda to berate the state governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa and the supreme political party in Delta, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Gov Okowa and his Aides at different platforms, events and public engagements, even at town hall meetings made deliberate and reasonable efforts to explain the truth behind the workings of local government as the third tier of government expected to meet fundamental obligations including payment of workers salaries.

All efforts made so far by Delta State Government to exonerate itself from the huge wage bills of LGAs met stiff resistance as Delta APC amateur propagandists and busy body social media aides ranted the more to criminally justify their false allegations and empty accusations. As they say, "Truth is constant, conscience is a wound and only truth can heal it."

 

 Mr Godwin Obaseki

In the light of the above, Edo State Governor, Dr Godwin Obaseki while responding to questions relating to the several months of salary arrears of local government workers in Edo State; corroborated the explanations earlier put forward by Gov Okowa and his Aides which is that the Edo State Government is not responsible for the payments of LGAs workers salary arrears.

"In Edo State we currently do not owe workers salaries. The last state salaries we paid was on May 25 or so and this is June and we are getting ready to pay as well.

"Let me make it clear to you (Channels TV) that LGA is a tier of government and its independent as guaranteed by the constitution. They are to pay their wage bills not the State government and we can only assist or borrow them money to pay salaries when convenient to do so. Right now, they must be proactive, creative as well as devise ways and means to pay workers salaries."

The above statement made live on Channels TV by an APC governor is sufficient to exonerate Gov Okowa of Delta State from the fake propaganda and misinformation crafted by Delta APC to destabilize the smooth and cordial relationship currently being enjoyed by the government and the governed in Delta State.

It is also a fact that Delta State Government assisted the LGAs with a whopping sum of N8.3BIllion from the Paris Club and Bailout funds and consistently on a monthly basis disbursed 10% of the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the 25 local governments in the state. This is huge and the LGAs must therefore consider the issue of salary restructuring, eviction of ghost workers among other strategies so as to remain afloat to meet financial obligations.

The LGAs salary structure in the state is the same as those of state and federal government workers, a system introduced during the oil boom and now that Delta State is 4th position as oil producing state coupled with the fact that oil prices dropped from $160 to $38/58 per barrel, the LGAs must have a rethink and do the needful to avoid constant embarrassment in wage bills arrears.

 

Gov Okowa

This is the TRUE POSITION about Local Government Salary Arrears as corroborated by APC and Governor of Edo State, Dr Godwin Obaseki.

It is therefore morally and legally just and ripe for APC DELTA amateur propagandists to busy themselves with issues relating to grassroots mobilization, internal petty squabbles, shameful multiple fictionalization and corruption within the APC DELTA.

It will be recalled that the APC Delta illegal EXCO suspended the state party Secretary, Comrade Chidi, for exposing the series of unscrupulous financial activities of the leadership.

Once again, it is strongly recommended that APC Delta and its leaders should focus of real partisan politics through grassroots mobilization rather than misinform Deltans through false alarm and aimless propaganda that will not earn the party a single vote in 2019.