Katsina spends N9b on LG staff salaries in two years
Katsina State government has so far spent more than nine billion naira within the last two years to assist in the payment of the 34 local government councils staff salaries.
The state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari confirmed this in his opening remark at the stakeholders meeting on local government administration held in katsina on Monday.
According to the Governor, from January -July this year more than N583 million naira was added to enable local governments pay salaries.
Masari also added that,N760 million naira is needed to enable the councils settle down after the conduct of the election, while each council would need an addition of two million from existing amount to run it’s administration.
He reiterated the commitment of the current government to conduct local government elections, expressing dismay that, despite efforts to fish out ghost workers, lack of cooperation from senior staff and politicians made the exercise a futile one.
Masari revealed that, the state got N14.5 billion from the Paris club refund and 49 percent of the amount belong to the local governments in the state.
Similarly, he said N4.2 billion was expended to settle local government retirees as at December 2016.While thanking all those who responded to the invitation, the governor reiterated that, the meeting was part of effort to ensure transparency and accountability by the current APC led administration in the state.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, SGS, Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa said the stakeholders meeting was the third in the series since the inception of the administration as part of its promise to keep the people informed.
In his presentation, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdulkadir Ahmed Zakka said N11 million naira was inherited from the previous administration, while N298 million is currently in the coffers of the ministry.
He however stated that, despite low revenue, local governments in the state and their staff are owed no single kobo.
On his part, the Special Adviser on Budget, Abdullahi Imam who gave the breakdown of local government funds said of the 34 local government councils, only seventeen can pay salaries without executing a single project.
Also contributing, the state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Ahmed Usman El-marzuq said the only impediment to the conduct of the local government elections is the pending case before the court of law.
