In what seemed like a move to show its continued support for the local government areas in the state, the Delta State government has approved the payment of the old minimum wage arrears owed primary school teachers from April 2011 to June 2012.
The state government has equally approved the settlement of the outstanding salaries arrears of the local government employers in the state.
State’s information commissioner, Patrick Ukah, who made the disclosure during a post executive council (exco) meeting briefing held in Asaba, Tuesday, said the council also made other approvals.
Adding his words, Ukah’s counterpart from the ministry of information, David Edebvie said that the state government was not among states against granting financial autonomy to local government council.
He said that the position had become necessary, because unlike others who take from the local government, the Delta State Government had supported the councils financially on several occasions.
Edevbie recalled the N5 billion given as grant to the local governments in 2018 as assistance to meet up their employees’ backlogs salaries adding that the state government also assisted the councils in the month of February this year with the N348 million to cover arrears owed with respect to teachers.
According to him, in November 2015 the state government provided a grant of N3.6 billion which was a loan given to the local government initially but that Exco had converted it to a grant, saying that this means that the local government would not have to pay back the loan to the state government.
“This is how much the state government has been of assistance to the local government, it is the opposite of what happens elsewhere where money is taken from local government,” Edevbie stated.
The Finance Commissioner who stated that he personally believed in the position of the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to see the councils be granted financial autonomy, which the unit believed would check corruption, however advised that the body should be guided by Section 162 of the Nigerian Constitution which made probation for a joint account between for state and local government council.
“We have fully complied with the law. We immediately transfer to state/LG joint account as soon as allocation comes,” maintained. He added that the state government had been supportive and would continue to be even if some other authorities desired to give councils financial autonomy.
