| Reacting to today’s protest by former local government councillors in Kwara State over non-payment of their arrears, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Alhaji Mahmud Tunde Ajeigbe had reminded the protesters that it was not the responsibility of the state government to pay salaries and pensions of local government workers since they rendered their services under local government councils, a separate tier of government that receives its allocation directly from the federal government.
Ajeigbe in a press statement released in Ilorin today also conveyed the sensitivity of the state government to the plight of the protesting ex- councillors while describing the situation as unfortunate at the present difficult times.
While recognising the protesters’ rights to peaceful demonstration, he advised them to channel their demands to the individual local government councils that owe them.
He reiterated the Ahmed administration’s readiness to support the councils to pay these and other arrears as demonstrated by the recent release of N2b to local councils, including N100m towards offsetting the arrears owed political office holders, out of the recent Paris Club Refund as well as the ongoing efforts to shore up their internally generated revenue.
|
