Stanley Uzoaru,Owerri
The Imo State Accountant General, Mr. Donald Igbo has raised the alarm in what he described as bloated salaries paid to some ministries in the state by the immediate past government of Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, Igbo noted that the discovery was made when the team of the present administration dug into the 70/100 percent arrangement reached by Okorocha’s administration and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on the modalities of prompt payment of workers salary on April 17, 2018.
Igbo disclosed that in the process of addressing the recent media reports that Governor Emeka Ihedioha had adopted Okorocha’s modalities of payment, uncovered the bloated salaries paid in some of the ministries.
Okorocha has, however, denied that he operated 250 bank accounts when he was in office.
Okorocha, who denied the allegation through his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, in Owerri, challenged the governor to make public the details of the bank accounts.
The AG said some of the ministries in the guise of receiving the 70 percent salary structure actually gets 200 per cent.
Igbo explained that when he inquired into why such ministries were being preferentially paid that amount, he said he was shocked to hear that the salary was a special package approved by the immdetiate past governor.
“Some ministries brought in certain things not approved in the salary structure, some claimed something personally was approved for them,some of this people are having 200 per cent as their salary”
He further claimed that the salary structure of the past administration from level 01-06 in some ministies got 115 percent instead of what is agreed in the NLC-government agreement.