Encomium
Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed has said that his administration will not retrench workers under any guise but will rather create platforms to economically empower the teeming youths.
Governor Ahmed, who stated this in Ilorin while speaking on an interactive programme, The Governor Explains, said that no state government could execute any developmental project or pay salaries as at when due by relying on federal allocation alone, promising to cut the cost of governance in order to fulfil his campaign promises.
Governor Ahmed emphasised that the new IGR drive would assist the government to pay salaries of workers regularly, accelerate development and save the state from current economic quagmire.
He added that the new agency will ensure change in philosophy, change in technology, change in processes of collecting revenues to desired levels and enhance the financial status of the state.
He urged the people of the state to brace up with the new tax regime by paying their taxes appropriately in the interest of the state.
Alhaji Ahmed explained that the consistent drop from monthly federal allocation had affected regular payment of salaries and project execution as planned.
The governor who attributed the inability of local government councils to pay their workers salaries to fall in allocation appealed to the striking Local Government workers to show understanding and call off their industrial action in the interest of the state.
He blamed the current economic challenges on the mismanagement of the then Peoples Democratic Party-led government, hoping that with the new internally generated revenue drive the state and local governments would begin to meet their needs in the next couple of months.
On the state parastatals and agencies owing workers salaries, Governor Ahmed charged managements of the affected revenue generating establishments not to rely on subventions from the state government but be more efficient staff salaries.
