Date: 2016-08-31

The Kwara Government on Tuesday announced that a new salary structure would be introduced for Local Government Councils in the state next month. Alhaji Haruna Muhammad, the state's Commissioner for Local Governments, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, made the announcement while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin.

Muhammad explained that the new salary structure would reflect the findings of a panel on staff verification carried out in the 16 Local Government Councils in the state. According to him, the salary arrears of Local Government workers in the state will also be addressed.

"The panel had submitted its report to the State Government and it is due for consideration soon. "The government would have loved to start the implementation in July but it's constrained by time." He also stated that the outcome of the panel's report would determine the policy direction of the government on Local Government administration.

"What determines our salary is inflow from the federation account, by September, we will start a new salary regime that will reflect our findings" the commissioner said. On the backlog of salaries of Local Government workers, Mohammed said the problem would be resolved as soon as the economy of the state improved.

He said that dwindling allocations from the federation account had affected local councils in their bids to carry out their statutory responsibilities. The commissioner, however, said that internally generated revenues would be used to augment funds for the councils. He described the Joint Allocation Account Committee of the state as the most robust and enlarged, pointing out that it accommodated stakeholders from government and labour unions.