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Magnus Eze, Enugu and Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Ahead of the submission of report of committee set up by Imo Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to reorganise parastatals and agencies in the state; the government has lauded the Commander of the Civil Guard Corps, Martin Ekeh, for identifying fraud in the agency’s payroll.
Personnel of the agency have not been paid salaries since July 2019, even as speculation was rife that the government may merge it with another agency as part of the ongoing reorganisation of establishments.
Acting Permanent Secretary/Accountant General, Gladys Mbagwu, had, in a letter to the commander, dated July 20, 2020, praised the steps so far taken to bring down the wage bill of the establishment and commended him for the ‘brave action’.
She, therefore, urged Ekeh and the staff to continue to discharge their duties pending the submission/implementation of the report of the committee on reorganisation of parastatals and agencies.
Daily Sun gathered that Ekeh, who was recently appointment commandant general, had, in his presentation to the reorganisation committee, “detected deserters, absconders; unproductive staff, as well as demystified payroll fraudsters.”
His action, has allegedly reduced the agency’s wage bill from N27 million to N18 million, thereby saving over N8 million from the monthly salary paid under his predecessor.
One Iheanacho Ikechukwu recently accused the commander of increasing his salary from N92,535.14 of grade level 15 step 4 to N392,277.40 of no grade level; an amount bigger than that of a permanent secretary.
However, it was gathered that the increase in Ekeh’s salary followed his appointment as commandant general by the government.
Worried by over 20 months of unpaid staff salary, Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has directed the convocation of a mini summit of critical stakeholders of the state polytechnic (AbiaPoly), to save the institution from going comatose.
According to the state government, the summit would also aim at finding lasting solution to the challenges being experienced by the polytechnic, especially with regard to regular payment of staff, and repositioning it to take a leading role in the training of next generation technologists in the state.
Those to attend the summit which holds from September 20 to 22, include the national president of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Anderson Ezeibe, his counterpart in NASUP as well as the local chairmen and secretaries of the relevant unions and it will be chaired by the governor.
