Kwara State Government has directed all the 16 local government areas in the state to pay teachers and workers salary arrears with immediate effect.

The directive, according to THISDAY checks, was due to the increase in the state statutory distribution from N728,949,266.22 last month to N1,283,421,646.99 this month representing a 76.06 per cent increase.
The state Commissioner for Finance and Chairman, Kwara State Joint Local Government Account Committee, Alhaji Demola Banu, stated this yesterday, after a meeting of the committee in Ilorin.

He explained that the state government had ordered the councils to pay 50 per cent of the N292 million furniture allowances to the serving councillors in the councils.

Banu, who restated government’s commitment to the welfare of its citizens, said the state government placed high premium in uplifting the standard of living of the people.

The commissioner, while giving a breakdown of this month's statutory allocation, stated that the Gross Statutory Allocation (GSA) was N1709,615,842.99 as against N1,763,8432,479.34 last month, while statutory allocation was N2,357,438,028.91, an increase of 32.66 per cent over the N1,777,077,857.33 for last month.

He explained further that contributions to teachers salary stand at N1,079,563,578.70, while Teachers Special Allowance (TSA) was N96,483,613.62 for this month.

According to him, local government and LGEA pension stand at N242,147,010.10 as against N238,484,273.75, adding that one per cent contribution to Tertiary Fund was N8,985,676.48 as against N3,218,702.12 an increase of 179.17 per cent.

Banu remarked that Net Statutory Allocation was N885,089,133.52 as against N317,042,164.94 in the month of February.

He added: “The amount distributed was N1,283,421,646.99, an increase of 76.06 per cent over last month's figure of N728,949,266.22.”
He explained that the budget difference was N647,822,180.92, adding that there was a difference due to increase in the 2013 budget.
Banu noted that, every local government councils in the state has no excuse not to pay all the salaries owed its staff.
He charged all stakeholders to contribute their quota to socio-economic development of the state.