Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, has set up a committee to administer the bailout fund allocated to the state with the mandate to clear all unpaid salaries and allowances of workers.
While disclosing that his administration has now accessed the bailout fund released by the Federal Government, Okorocha, weekend, told workers and labour leaders, that the committee included the Accountant-General, the Chief of Staff, the Principal Secretary, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Head of Service, as members.
The Governor directed the committee to ensure that all the salaries owed workers were cleared and payment must be made by cheques in line with the policy of the state government to check the ugly case of ghost workers.
“Apart from the July salary owed Civil Servants, teachers and local government workers, they should also be paid for the month of August and even the month of September in advance if the workers so desired”, Okorocha directed.
Although the workers objected to the payment of the month of September salary in advance, Chief Okorocha also directed that the salaries owed parastatals should equally be cleared.
He announced that he would be meeting with heads of the parastatals and labour leaders next Tuesday, to discuss on how to make the parastatals productive after paying them the outstanding salaries.
The Governor equally directed the committee to ensure that the pensioners benefit from the payment, “even when the pension bailout fund has not come”, and stressed that steps would be taken to reposition the civil service in the state.