Imo assures workers of 100 per cent salary payment

By Val Okara, Owerri

The Imo state government has dismissed rumours making the rounds that it has concluded plans to continue to pay civil servants in the state 70 per cent of their monthly salary as done by his predecessor.

The state government assured the state workers of 100 per cent monthly pay of their salaries.

Accountant General of the state, Deacon Donald Igbo disclosed this while briefing newsmen in his office, disclosing that a committee has been set up to harmonize the actual salary package of the workforce and that the state government did not pay 70 per cent to the workers for the month of June as is being peddled in the media.

He noted with regret that some government departments and agencies criminally falsify the monthly salary structure of workers which resulted in over -bloated wage bill.

“In its efforts to rebuild Imo state, the state government has resolved to remunerate civil servants in the state and has noted the actual fact on the payment of their emoluments,” he stated.

According to Igbo, workers on grade levels one to six were paid 115 per cent of their salaries last year instead of 100 per cent while those on salary grade levels 9, 10 and 12 were paid 94 per cent which amounted to a difference of six per cent just as their colleagues on levels 13 to 16 were paid three per cent difference.

“Upon assumption of office, Governor Emeka Ihedioha assured that he would pay the agreed minimum wage payable to workers in the state, but some ministries later inserted clauses not in the said 100 per cent and instead of 10 per cent difference, some will now be having 200 per cent, hence the state government has set up a committee to harmonize these differences and as soon as the committee harmonizes all these unapproved lists, the governor will approve it.

“What is being paid now is not 70 per cent from my own calculation which is more than 100 per cent,” the accountant general added.