The Kogi government said it has completed payment of salary to 95 per cent of its workers that were cleared in the just concluded staff screening and verification.
It would be recalled that Governor Bello reported inherited huge debt profile from the his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) predecessor, Idris Ichala Wada, which included the many months of unpaid salaries of workers in the state.
The situation had led to lecturers of Kogi State University’s strike that has altered the academic programme for over four months now. They will however resume now with the 95 percent payment made by the new government.
The state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, made the assertion on Monday in Lokoja in a statement issued to mark this year’s democracy day celebration.
“I can confirm that people are still getting payment alerts as we do our best to meet the May 31 timeline which we set for ourselves to complete all payments,” the governor said.
Bello said that government was deploying integrated staff and payroll automation solutions to consolidate the gains from the screening in line with the ongoing civil service and pension reforms.
With the conclusion of the exercise, he assured workers and pensioners of prompt payment of salary and pensions.
According to Bello, the government has been able to tame the widespread insecurity of lives and property which it inherited.
”Today, the incidence of kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes has dropped to almost zero,” the governor said in the statement personally signed by him.
He said that the state internally generated revenue had increased from between N350 million and N400 million per month to over N1 billion per month.
The governor said that more than 1000 appointments had been made in the Ministries of Environment, Justice and the Revenue Board in the past 15 months while advert had been placed for massive recruitment into the health sector.
Bello said plans were nearing completion for the construction of 239 blocks of two Classrooms, one in each of the 239 wards in the state under the GYB Model Primary School Initiative.
He also announced that students in tertiary institutions will henceforth receive N10,000 as bursary as against former N3,500.
He thanked the people for their support for his administration since assumption of office 15 months ago, saying that government will continue to cater for their welfare through provision of more democracy dividends.
Bello also advised those in opposition to embrace peace and join hands with him to work for the progress and development of the state.
