Commission raises Ogun workers’ hope on salary payment

The Ogun State government is working towards ensuring that it does not owe its workers, and that salaries are promptly paid.

Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Rotimi Rahmon, said: “Ogun State has put the issue of owing workers salary behind it, the government is now working towards better welfare for its employees.”

Rahmon, who poke to journalists at the 30th Usi Day celebration in Ekiti State at the weekend, cited the salary of teachers, which he said the Ogun State government has placed on first line charge.

“Ogun teachers have no reason to fear. Their salary was put on first line charge last year. Whatever that comes in, their salary would be deducted first. Since that has been done, there has been no rancour between the local governments and the teachers.”

Rahmon who expressed support for local government autonomy, however, noted that any autonomy not backed up with financial capacity would amount to walking in the dark.

“With the state of things in the country now, no local government can stay on its own without the backing of the state government. There are a lot of things to be done and put in place when it gets to the issue of local government autonomy.

“For instance, the revenue sharing formula should be looked into first. From the way it is now, the Federal Government that is just one is collecting 52.6 per cent, states are collecting 26 per cent and 774 local councils across the country are getting 20 per cent of the allocation.

“The local government is the closest to the grassroots and so should be given priority than the other tiers of government, but the reverse is the case in Nigeria.”

To make the autonomy work, Rahmon said the stakeholders must first put in place things that will make the local governments self-reliant.