Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state has disclosed that the state owes pensioners in the state N14 billion.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned the governor said this on Monday while inaugurating a nine-member committee for the State-Local Government Joint Account (JAAC).
Soludo , who inaugurated the committee shortly after the State Executive Council Meeting at the Government House, Awka, also announced that the state government would be recruiting over 4,000 teachers to rejig teaching and learning in the state.
‘We are going to be employing over 4,000 teachers, it’ll be charged to JAAC. Meanwhile, you have over N14bn debt in terms of gratuity and pensions arrears . Part of it we have started to pay and so on and so forth.
The resources aren’t there. But at the same time, you are being called upon to do some very special disruptive function. It is going to be a lot of hard work. Why do I say that? Because you are being called upon to do very disruptive work at a time of major challenges in the country. Major challenges in the finances of the state and local government and you’ve been called upon to find the solution’ he said.
‘For us we have a vision to have responsibility devolve to base and to have local government that is empowered from the base, to deliver development to the grassroots. And consequently, the finances that are very limited will have to be run in a different way.
I hear people talk about autonomy. If you want to implement a strict autonomy, it’ll mean that each local government will employ and pay its staff. That’s what it’ll mean but this is not the case. That’s why you find someone in Idemili working in Ayamelum and someone from Ayamelum working in Nnewi South because they have a pool system’ Soludo added.
The Committee which is headed by the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Collins Nwabunwanne has Dr. Leopold Arinze Nwankwo-Ikwueto as Secretary- Team@orientactualmags.com
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