Controversy trails Delta’s June/August salaries to civil servants

Controversy yesterday erupted over the purported over payment of June/August salaries to civil servants in Delta State. Last Thursday, the State Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Reginald Bayoko called on civil servants who were over paid their June/August 2016 salaries to ensure that such excess monies are paid back into the state government’s salary account. But many of the civil servants who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity raised concern, asking the Head of Service (HOS) to explain how the money was over paid, or what pattern was followed in the payment of workers’ salaries.

Noting that the Head of Service’s call was embarrassing, the civil servants asked, “How did government over pay salaries of workers? We will not take such from them and we will not return any money if there is any such money at all,” while expressing dissatisfaction on the continuous delay of workers’ salaries in the last one year of the Okowa led administration.

Expectedly, the Head of Service, while addressing permanent secretaries and head of parastatals on the lapses in the payment of June and August salaries to some civil servants in the state, blamed the unfortunate incident on system failure in the course of effecting payments and urged the permanent secretaries and head of parastatals to prevail on staff of their various MDAs who have collected monies over and above their salaries to pay back such money into their accounts to enable the banks reverse the payment. Investigation revealed that civil servants who had received their salaries for June/August 2016, argued that there was no overpayment as alleged by the head of service, adding that his calls was to divert attention of the state government’s inability to pay workers’ salaries as at when due.

In a swift reaction, the Head of Service (HOS) told journalists that it was incumbent on every worker, indeed an account holder, to report to their banks when huge sums of money are deposited into such accounts before going to withdraw such money to avoid financial embarrassment. Bayoko said that names of those who have drawn up over payment were being complied by the various banks for necessary action, adding that efforts were on to ensure that such failures do not re-occur in future. Urging staff that were short paid to be patient with the state government, the Head of Service said efforts were being made to remedy the errors, adding that 90 percent of the total sum was recovered by the various banks.