Full salary payment a top priority despite revenue drop: AbdulRazaq

Date: 2022-07-19

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Tuesday said the state is not immune to the steady decline of revenue, adding however that the administration will continue to make payment of full salaries a first line charge because of its wider implications for staff welfare and the local economy.

The Governor said states are getting abysmally low revenue receipts to the extent that allocations from Abuja to Kwara are hardly enough to pay full salaries and run basic government expenses until the allocation is augmented with IGR which ought to be for infrastructural development and savings for the future.

“Our policy is to make sure that we pay 100 salary and this is exactly what we have been doing since day one. All of our allocations and part of IGR now go into paying salary and running basic government expenses. We hardly have leftovers. So, we are struggling because the money is just not there. On top of that, we are having to give money to the local governments to pay 100% salary. After this is done, nothing is left,” he said at a meeting with the heads of Kwara State Colleges of Education, including the College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies.

“We are aware of your requests and we truly want to do them. However, we are currently constrained by resources. Allocation has gone down. We are having to augment payment of salary and cost of governance from what is spendable of our IGR. Our ongoing capital projects are funded with bond. And it is simply impossible to use bond money to do any other thing because the terms of accessing the bond prevent such things. The bond we took is such that you cannot take a kobo out of it to do anything not listed in the terms. I urge everyone to bear with us. For now, we are only able to pay salaries 100% and this is in fact a struggle. However, paying salary as and when due is a thing we take very seriously.”

The Governor said he expected a better understanding from the COED teachers on their agitation majorly over an agreement signed since 2011 and was not implemented by previous administration, adding that this administration, unlike its predecessors, has never defaulted in full salary payment and other basic needs unlike before.

He said the government is not opposed to requests for improved welfare and had indeed offered something its purse can afford at this time, adding that it would be wrong and immoral for it to commit to an agreement it lacks the resources to implement now especially with the steady fall in revenue over the past six months.

“We don’t believe in gerigedi salary, which we met, and we don’t want to ever be tagged as an administration that was not paying full salary. This is the understanding that we seek. I think we deserve a better treatment. We feel betrayed by their strike despite our sacrifices to ensure everyone gets full pay at this austere time.”

The meeting was also attended by the Honourable Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General Bar. Senior Ibrahim Suleiman and all the provosts of the schools.

Rafiu Ajakaye

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

July 19, 2022

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

EndSARS     Jimoh Akani     Garba Dogo     Abdullahi Biffo     Ibraheem Abdullateef     Ministry Of Women Affairs And Social Development     Kwara State Council Of Chiefs     Chemiroy Nigeria Limited     NSCIA     Kwara University Of Education     Muslim Cementary     Alagbado     Christian Association Of Nigeria     Surajudeen Akanbi     Tunji Ajanaku     VADA     Rafiu Olasile     Emir Of Yashikira     Oloyede     Sai Kayi     Abiodun Abdulkareem     Kwara State Printing And Publishing Corporation     Aliyu Adebayo     Lanre Olosunde     Oluwole Dupe     Kunle Akogun     Vasolar-Kwara Company Ltd     Saliu Mustapha     Aisha Gobir     Kehinde Baale     Hikmah AbdulKareem     Federal Polytechnic Offa     Garba Ado Sanni     Local Government Pension Board     Salman Alada     Elerin Of Adanla Irese     Kehinde Boyede     Dumagi     Moshood Mustapha     Maryam A. Garuba     Binta Abubakar-Mora     Omotoso Musa     LAK Jimoh     Amoyo     Yinka Aluko     Femi Ogunsola     Abubakar Kawu Baraje     Abdulganiyu Salahudeen     Abdulrauf Aliyu     Mohammed Khadijat Kubura     Maja     General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport     Kisra     Abdulrazaq Akorede     Wasiu Odewale     Ibrahim Kayode Adeyemi     Baruten     Toyin Falola     Aiyedun     Oke-Oyi     UTME     Aliyu Salihu     Alaro     Yusuf A. Usman     Logun     Bola Shagaya     Kwara Teaching Service Commission     TESCOM     Mahmud Ayinla Giwa     Moremi High School     Peter Obi     Ibrahim Bio     Olatunji Moronfoye     Moshood Kashimawo Abiola     Agboola Babatunde     Trade Lenda SME Fair     Boko Haram    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

AbdulGafar Tosho     Oko-Olowo     Prince Mahe Abdulkadir     Bashir Badawi     Modibbo Kawu     Maja     Allocation     Isiaka Rafiu Mope     A.O. Belgore     Moses Rahman Popoola     Apata Ajele Secondary School     Code Of Conduct Bureau     Moro     Hamid Bobboyi     Zainab Abass     Nnazua     Bank Of Industry     Paul Olawoore     Mary Arinde     Amusa Bello     Buhari     Kwara     Ahmed Mohammed Rifun     Offa Grammer School     Rebecca Olanrewaju     General Hospital, Offa     ITEM 7     Bayo Ojo     Abdulmumini Jawondo     Neuropsychiatric Hospital     KW-GIS     Lateef Alagbonsi     Hikmah AbdulKareem     Gbenga Awoyale     Osi     Jamiu Oyawoye     Otoge     Joseph Alex Offorjama     Segun Abifarin     Yahaya Seriki     Kwara State Health Insurance Agency     Oluranti Idowu     Bello John Olanrewaju     Gbemisola Oguntimehin     Emir Of Ilorin     Gbadeyan Gbadura Yomi     Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu     Pacify Labs     Ayinke Saka     Omu Aran     Wahab Isa     Simon Sayomi     Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak     Kwara State Fire Service     IESA     Sam Onile     David Oyerinola Adedunmoye     Opobiyi     Adanla-Irese     Raliat Islamic Foundation     Government High School (GHS), Adeta     Budo Egba     Abatemi-Usman     Ayotunde Emmanuel Alao     Ali Ahmad     Sulaiman Gado     Rasheed Jimoh     Ramadhan     Tunji Oyawoye     Ahmed Idris Mohammed     Laolu Saraki     Oloyede     Ibrahim Taiwo     Olokoba Abdullahi Ayinla     Kwha.gov.ng     Garba Ado Sanni     Onilorin Of Ilorin