Kogi state governor Yahaya Bello Photo: Kogireporters
The Kogi State Government has stated that a the massive mortgage it's servicing has made it inconceivable to pay staff’ salaries promptly.
State Director-General of Media and Publicity Kingsley Fanwo revealed this on Sunday in Lokoja, the state capital.
According to Fanwo, “Sometimes, we repay between N400 million and N500 million month-to-month as loans that add no worth to the state.
“These loans have been taken by the final two administrations and a few of them have been invested on tasks that have been by no means accomplished.
“When you exit, you will note Kogi Hotels, billions of naira was collected for that challenge and it was not accomplished, and it isn't including any worth to the state.
“Also, the Kogi House in Abuja has gulped billions of naira, yet, it is not completed, not adding any value to the state.”
He also said that, “It is more and more troublesome to muster sufficient assets to pay salaries often. As I communicate with you, we're nonetheless owing March and April salaries.
“When you do a comparative analysis of wages in the North Central geo political zone, Kogi pays the highest and despite that, we have been very faithful.”
On bailout funds acquired from the Federal Government, Fanwo mentioned they “weren't items from the Federal Government, it was roughly a mortgage, so you need to prioritise what you utilize your bailout funds for.
“So, we used it mainly for salaries and we have been the one state within the federation that printed how we used that bailout funds.
“Transparency and accountability are the hallmarks of this administration.”