Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has set up a committee on payment of outstanding salary arrears of workers from Aug. 2016 to Jan. 2017.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Agboola Ajayi, who is the Chairman of the committee conducted its inaugural meeting on Tuesday in Akure.

Ondo state government received N14.686billion bailout in 2015 out of the N338 billion total bailout given to 19 states to paying workers.

The Central Bank of Nigeria spokesperson, Ibrahim Mu’azu, said the bailout was in line with the resolution of the National Economic Council (NEC) to enable the affected states to pay the backlog of workers’ salary arrears.

The package has a 20-year repayment tenor for all states, except Ogun, which opted for a 10-year tenor.

However, the committee set up by the governor is saddled with the responsibility to calculate the arrears of salaries from Aug. 2016 to Jan. 2017 and to establish the causes of the unpaid salaries.

It is also expected to recommend to government ways and means of effective payment of all arrears and suggest ways of ensuring payment of workers’ salaries as and when due.

The committee is expected to submit its report within two weeks.

The state government is owing the workers eight months’ salary arrears as at February 2017.

Other members of the committee are the Head of Service, Mr Toyin Akinkuotu, the Accountant General, Mr Laolu Akindolire, Auditor-General, Mr Samuel Adegoke, the Director of Central Pay Office, Mr Bode Ajigbolamu.

Also, the Ondo NLC Chairperson, Mrs Bosede Daramola and Mr Sunday Adeleye Oluwole, Chairman of the State Joint Negotiation Council as well as the Chairman of NULGE in the state, Bunmi Eniayewu are members.

Mr Bayo Philip, Secretary, Service Matters is to serve as the Secretary.

A former Commissioner for Information under Mimiko Government, Mr Kayode Akinmade had earlier said before the handing over that “the Federal allocation that Ondo state is being paid for the last 12 months is not enough to pay workers’ salaries which is above N3 billion monthly.”

(NAN)

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