By Mumini AbdulKareem
Local Government workers in Kwara State will receive their full salaries for the month of December,ย National Pilotย learnt last night.
Others said to have been listed to benefit the payment include pensioners and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) workers.
This development is coming just as the state government has scheduled the Joint Account and Allocation Committee meeting for today (Tuesday).
It was gathered that the affected workers have been receiving their salaries in percentages except for the month of October when they were paid in full.
81.8 percent was paid to the local workers last month (November)
The Local Government, SUBEB staff and pensionersโ arrears issue had dominated discussion in the state after the government confirmed its receipt of the last tranche of the Paris Club Loan Refund.
It was however not clear, last night the actual amount that accrued to the state from the refund with unconfirmed reports putting the figure at around N5.2 billion.
Speaking on the issue last night, the Secretary of the state chapter of theย Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Hotonu Rafiu confirmed in a telephone chat to our reporter that JAAC meeting will hold today (Tuesday). He added that NULGE expects full salaries for its members for the month of December.
According to him, the local government workers received N2.3 billion this month for salaries as against N2.1 billion in November from which 81.8 per cent was paid.
He added that despite deductions and other commitments such as loan repayment, the workers still expect to be paid their full entitlements for December.
He said โWe are expecting full payment for the month of December. We received N2.3 billion this month as against N2.1 billion last month when the local government workers got 81.8 per cent of their salaries.
โThe last time we received full salaries was in the month of October and even with the loan repayment and other commitments and deductions which we have about two months to pay, we are still expecting full month pay.
โWe will be holding JAAC meetingย tomorrowย and everything should be sorted out at the end of the day.โ
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr Muideen Akorede had confirmed during a Radio Programme that the state had received its last tranche of the Paris Club Refund adding that it has been incorporated into the 2018 budget.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, last month, shortly before concluding plans to release the last tranche met with the state governors over the workersโ plight and directed that they should be paid before Christmas.
Following the directive, the Federal Ministry of Finance held FAAC meeting last week before the traditional period of 20-25 of every month.
The Kwara State Government subsequently released the details of its December allocation after its Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting where the Commissioner for Finance, Demola Banu said the state got over N3.3billion as its share of the federal allocation for the month of December 2017, one of its highest in the recent time.
He said the 16 LGs got a total of N2. 3 billion as allocation for the month of December as against the over N2 billion received last month.
