Kogi begins payment of 5 months salary arrears, vows to recover looted funds

The Kogi State Government on Tuesday announced that it would within the week commence the payment of five months salary arrears to its workers.

Governor Yahaya Bello told newsmen in Lokoja that the salary arrears would be paid from the N20 billion bailout funds received by the state government from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Bello said government had no intention of keeping the money for other purposes, stressing that it would be strictly used to offset the backlog of workers salaries.

The governor said the workers would receive their money through their bank accounts.

He said: “We have a list of genuine workers being owed salary arrears. No committee will be set up to appropriate the bailout funds.

“The payment will follow the normal process in place for salary payment to workers through bank transactions.”

On the recent protest by some local government staff who were not on the cleared list released by the staff verification committee, the governor promised that the full authenticated list would be released soon.

Bello said: “No single genuine worker will be left out unpaid. As a genuine worker, you will be screened and remain in service.

“After the exercise, if you are left out, the unions should come forward with such names and you will be paid.

“Those benefitting from the rotten system will not want the exercise to succeed; no way for ghost workers.

“It is not the present exercise that is the problem. The crime committed in the past is the problem. We will not be intimidated.”

Bello also reiterated the resolve of the administration to probe all contracts awarded by his predecessors.

“Those who looted, we will fish them out, recover the looted funds and prosecute them,” the governor added.

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