Why Rivers State government withheld council funds, by Wike

Delta denies owing workers’ salaries
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that funds for local councils were withheld because the tenure of caretaker committees had expired.

He cautioned that caretaker committee chairmen who used council funds to service their political godfathers would be penalised.

Wike stated this while swearing in 15 caretaker committee chairmen at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday.

He told the chairmen who were screened and confirmed by the state House of Assembly on Tuesday to immediately commence the payment of December 2017, January 2018 and February 2018 salaries of council workers.

The governor explained that the state government did not release the funds to the immediate past council administrators because their tenures had expired.

“The payment of salaries of workers must be given priority attention.  As you take over the councils, pay the outstanding three months salaries. Do not pay the salaries in batches,” he said.

Wike also advised the newly appointed chairmen to work with security agencies to maintain peace and security in the state.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has again denied owing workers, saying it had paid salaries up to date.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ukah, he explained that the clarification was necessary to correct the wrong impression created by a recent newspaper report in which labour alleged that only Lagos State has been able to pay workers salaries in full.

The statement added that the publication might not have arisen from a proper assessment of the true position of states in the country.

Ukah said it was, therefore, necessary to place on record that the Delta State government had paid the salaries of its up to date and as such was not owing workers.