Kogi Workers’ Salaries: PDP’s Okai Urges Governor Ododo to Pay in Full

The immediate past House of Representatives candidate for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, has called on the newly-elected Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Usman Ododo, to prioritize the payment of workers’ salaries in full.

This comes in response to the concerns of local government workers and pensioners who have been receiving only a percentage of their salaries.

According to the State Commissioner for Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning, Honourable Asiwaju Idris Asiru, the 21 local government areas of the state received a net statutory allocation of N2,335,532,610.36 in February.

In addition, the local government areas also benefited from VAT and exchange gain differences, as well as a refund on electronic money transfer.

As a result, their gross statutory revenue for February was N6,689,704,750.92.

Despite these figures, Governor Ododo is being urged to pay workers according to their level and grade, not shortchanging them.

The PDP chieftain, Usman Okai Austin, has stressed that the excess allocation should be used to address the endemic hunger and poverty in the state caused by poor government policy.

Furthermore, the government is being encouraged to embark on capital projects to ensure more money in circulation, rather than considering this increased allocation as a gift for the governor and his predecessor.

The good of the people of Kogi State must be prioritized, and the increased allocation should be used to address the issue of excessive hunger in the region.

The situation is particularly pressing given that the removal of fuel subsidies has led to increased financial strain on the citizens of the state.

In light of this, Governor Ododo must address the concerns of local government workers and pensioners and ensure that they receive their full salaries.