…N1.1bn left in gov’t coffers
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Plateau State Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang has disclosed that he inherited about N11 billion unpaid salaries to civil servants and only N1.1 billion naira left in the coffers of the State government by the former Governor of the State Simon Bako Lalong.
He said aside the inheritance of a civil service on strike, it is alarming that the wage bill of civil servants in the month of February 2023 which the outgoing administration claimed to have cleared to the tune N2.9 billion only N900 million was paid by his predecessor.
Mutfwang made this known yesterday during the Democracy Day programme with the theme:
“UNPACKING THE TIME IS NOW Vision” by the Governor himself at the PRTV Studio yesterday in Jos the State Capital.
“Having taking over in the last two weeks, indeed we became convinced that our mantra of The Time is Now is quiet appropriate.
“With the little we have seen since taking over, there is a lot of work to be done! We inherited a civil service on strike and facts don’t lie. Out of the wage bill of N2.9 billion for February 2023, only N900 million was paid.”
He said the reality on ground are not politicking but challenges that he is committed to finding solutions to them but became necessary to let Plateau people know the state of things inline with his resolved to run a transparent administration to the people who elected him.
“As at now, I can tell the people of Plateau State without politicking, that we are owing salaries up to May to the tune of about N11 billion. And what we inherited from the coffers of Plateau State Government is N1.1 billion.
“Therefore, we knew we are going to start in a difficult way, but we did not think is going to be of this difficult. But we of the PDP extraction do not make excuses, we came to find solutions and solutions will be find by the grace of God,” he assured citizens of the State.