From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The decision by the Kogi State government to use the table payment method/pay parade to settle salaries of civil servants and pensioners has saved the state millions of naira as over four hundred cheques have been left unclaimed in Ministries Departments and Agencies as well as the State Parliamentary Service Commission.
The State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon Idris Asiru made the revelation yesterday while addressing an ad-hoc Committee set up by the Kogi State House of Assembly to look into the impasse between the State Judiciary and the Executive over government decision to use the method in paying judiciary staff.
Hon Asiru said the unclaimed cheques were testament to the fact that the present administration has got it right through the table payment as unintended beneficiaries from the system of old found it difficult to perpetrate their unholy acts.
The Chairman of the House of Assembly Ad-Hoc Committee, Hon. Abdullahi Bello backed the commissioner’s point by noting that the pay parade has assisted the present administration in blocking leakages in the system.
He stressed that the system would also help the state to ascertain the actual number of civil servants in the payroll so that government could make adequate arrangements for a more regular salary payments.
Chairman of the Pay Parade Committee and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Ayoade Folashade Arike told the committee that executive initiated the process after it was discovered that many people still draw salaries from the state without rendering any services.
Dr. Folashade allayed insinuations that the executive was up in arms against any branch of government, saying the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello wants peaceful and harmonious working relationship with all tiers.
The issue of the seemingly intractable salary payment, which was the theme of several opposition campaign of calumny in the state is no longer the case as government has finally put that to bed, leaving the opposition camp in disarray.
