Date: 2017-02-06

The KWARA State Government says it is working assiduously to ensure that local government workers in the state start to receive their monthly salaries as at when due before the end of March this year.

The state Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development , Alhaji Wasiu Odewale who gave the assurance in Ilorin the state capital while answering questions on a Radio KWARA personality interview programme , Playing Host said this would be done through financial assistance to the councils.

Alhaji Odewale, however, appealed to local government council chairmen to ensure that all financial loopholes in their councils are blocked while workers should be fully engaged in agricultural projects at least two days within the week.

According to him, the state government would rather engage workers in agriculture and other trades rather than retrenching them so as not to further compound the unemployment market.

The commissioner urged the councils to generate more revenue internally and depend less on federal allocation .

Alhaji Odewale made further clarifications on the Paris loan refund stressing that so far, the state government had received the sum of nine point four billion Naira which represents twenty five percent of the total amount the state government is entitled to.

He announced that before the end of April this year, another twenty five percent of the refund of the Paris loan would again be given to the state government as his ministry and the Federal Government had commenced reconciliation on another round of the refund.

Answering another question, the commissioner described the 2017 budget estimate of the state government as 'Budget of Reality' as Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed's projection of the budget was with the understanding of the workings of the economy of the state and based on the exchange rate of the dollar and the oil price per barrel of the federal government in the international market.

Alhaji Odewale described year 2016 as a challenging year for the state government in terms of implementing her budget as the government was able to achieve sixty seven percent of her budget estimate but said the government looked beyond her revenue base of five hundred million Naira per month to one point five billion Naira monthly in the 2017 budget estimate.

The commissioner therefore called for the cooperation of kwarans to ensure that the state government generate her estimated budget target and generate more revenue for the development of the state and continuous payment of salaries of civil servants as presently been implemented by the Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed's administration .