By Seyi Babalola
Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress APC in September 21 election in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has assured local government workers in the state that he would clear all their outstanding salaries within 100 days in office as governor.
He made the promise in a statement issued in Benin City by the media director of the party’s campaign council, Prince Kassim Afegbua.
He said the amount, which is in several billions of naira that is made up of salaries and deductions, would be given an expedited action as soon as he was sworn into office, when elected.
Full text of the statement…
(PRESS RELEASE)
OKPEBHOLO WILL PAY ALL OUTSTANDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT SALARIES WITHIN FIRST 100 DAYS.
Vexed by the reality that Local Government Employees in the 18 Local Government Areas of the state are being owed salaries, Senator Okpebholo has declared his readiness to discharge all outstanding salaries within his first 100 days in office.
Every Local Government in Edo state is being owed salaries ranging from two, three, four and six months respectively at a time the Local Government allocation has improved.
Instead of releasing the funds and allocations that are due to the Local Government, Governor Obaseki often compelled them to visit the Sterling Bank office in Benin, where the Chairmen are made to sign that they have received their allocations, whereas, nothing has touched their hands.
There are no capital projects in the Local Governments, and the worse of all is that, salaries are still being owed.
The following is the breakdown of the Local Governments and the salaries being owed including deductions to the tune of N4.5Bn:
1. Orhionmwon LGA 13 months
2. Egor LGA 5 months
3. Ovia East (iguobazuwa) LGA 6 months
4. Oredo LGA 2 months
5. Ovia west (okada) LGA 3 months
6. Uhumwonde LGA 2 months
7. Ikpoba Okha LGA 1 month
8. Esan west LGA 6 months
9. Igueben LGA 4 months
10. Esan Central LGA
11. Esan NE LGA 2 months
12. Esan SE LGA 2 months
13. Etsako west LGA 6 months
14. Akoko-Edo LGA 2 months
15. Owan East LGA 5 months
16. Owan West LGA 6 months
17. Etsako-East 2 months
18. Etsako Central LGA 6 months
It is not only an act of wickedness for Governor Obaseki to sit on Local Government Allocations, but also unconscionable that funds and allocations that are due to Local Governments are being withheld, thus denying them the opportunity of carrying out capital projects in their domain.
Senator Monday Okpebholo has assured all Local Government Employees of prompt payment of their salaries, as well as paying all outstanding salaries within his 100 days in office.
He has also assured the Local Government Areas that all allocations due will be handed over to them for proper growth and development of the rural areas.
A vote for Senator Okpebholo is a vote for progress, development and robust collaboration between the state Government and the Local Governments.
E-Signed:
PRINCE KASSIM AFEGBUA
DIRECTOR OF MEDIA,
EDO 2024 APC CAMPAIGN COUNCIL.
