Abel Leonard / lafia.
In a bid to ensure that local government workers and retirees receive their full wages as at when due, Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, set up a committee to unravel reasons behind shortfalls in financial activities of the councils, making it difficult to pay local governemt workers and pensioners.
It is on this note that the Nasarawa State Government uncovered fraud of over six point four billion Naira allegedly mis managed by accounting officers in the thirteen local councils of the state.
You will recall that the state government has since directed the Directors of Personnel Management and Finance as well as Accountants of all the thirteen local government councils and Development Areas of the state to proceed on a three month suspension.
Commissioner for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state Mr Yusuf Turaki who disclosed this in a phone conversation with daybreak reporter said the reason is to create an enabling atmosphere for proper investigation.
The commissioner however said preliminary report by a seven man committee set up by Governor Abdullahi Sule to look into the persistent shortfall in salaries of local government workers in the state since 2012 indicates that the directors could not account for over six hundred million Naira excess after payment of monthly salaries for workers since 2012.
He noted that as at October 2020, salaries of local government workers stood at seven hundred million Naira as against one point one billion and one point six billion Naira between April 2012 and 2020 even though there was no employment of new workers.
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