From: Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State has said that his administration was passionate about the payment of worker’s salaries in the state, especially Local Government workers.
Governor Ishaku stated this, on Thursday, in Jalingo, during an interactive session with journalists dubbed – Face The Press.
The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Bello Yero said that his administration was constrained by acute paucity of funds but was determined to ensure that local government workers are paid their salaries promptly as most of them are breadwinners in their families and depend n the salaries to sustain their homes.
Yero said that the state is hit hard by the lack of funds because previous administrations failed to manage and save in the period of plenty and now has to suffer through the period of acute lack.
He said that it takes a governor with the interest of his people at heart as Ishaku to be up to date in payment of salaries especially for local government workers as the inflow from the federal government is grossly inadequate while the state’s Internationally Generated Revenue IGR is nothing to write home about.
“Gentlemen of the press, let me say, for avoidance of doubt, that the state government is totally committed to payment of salaries of all workers in the state especially for the local government workers who are often the most neglected in the scheme of affairs.
“We are all aware of the enormous financial challenges confronting the country and the state. This translates to low inflow for the state while the IGR remains rather very low. In the face of all these, we are doing everything to ensure that the workers receive their due except those that have issues of verification that would also be resolved soon”, Yero said.
He enjoined the people to support the government to check the Roth in the civil service to a tolerable level and to be bold enough to report any suspected anomaly to relevant authorities for appropriate actions to be taken against them so that the system would work more effectively.
Yero who commended the journalists for been very objective in their coverage of the state, urged them to do more as they are partners in the development of the state.