Ahmed wants teachers’ salaries removed from LG allocation

 Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed has called for the removal of primary school teachers’ salaries from local government allocations in order to ease funding challenges at the local council level in the country.

In a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary Abdulwahab Oba, the governor also said that there was urgent need for the review of national laws which inhibit  state governments from being major players in Telecommunications, Energy, Aviation, exploitation of mineral resources so that states could be more economically viable and financially self-sustaining, made the calls during an interface with Muslim Scholars during a newly introduced “State of the State” meeting; a platform for interface between the state government and groups such as faith leaders, women and youth groups.

According to Ahmed, primary education is too important to be left at the mercy of local government areas who are becoming increasingly incapacitated to meet the challenges of modern governance. “Most of them lack the financial requirements of primary education, especially primary school teachers.

The governor stressed that there was need to expand sources of Internally Generated Revenue of states by removing Telecommunications, Energy, Aviation, exploitation of mineral resources from exclusivity of the federal government which already has a wider financial base.

On infrastructure development of the state, the Ahmed said the Kwara State Infrastructure Development Fund (InfraFund Kwara) has been increased from N300m monthly to N500m. “With the increase of the funds, the state government is now better placed to jump start vital projects such as the Garin Alimi underpass, extension of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Road, two additional campuses of Kwara State University in Ilesha-Baruba and Osi, Kwara North and Kwara South senatorial districts respectively”, he said.

The governor added that with the procurement of two Asphalt Plants by the ‎state government, road maintenance  across the state will now be cheaper and executed with vigour.

Responding, one of the Ulamas, Abubakar Aliagan called on the state government to urgently stem the activities of misguided muslim fundamentalists in the state to prevent an emergence of terrorism.

“These are people wanted outside the country. Why should we allow them operate freely in our state?”, another scholar queried.

The forum provided the Muslim scholars opportunity to share their views  on the State with the governor.