The Chairman of Ughelli South Local Government Council in Delta State, Lucky Avweromre, has said that only staff verification can save the council from its financial crisis.
Avweromre stated this while fielding questions from journalists, saying that the council pays about N400 million every month as staff wages.
According to him, the total salary bill for teachers and council workers is close to N400 million out of an allocation of about N450 million.
While expressing optimism that the staff verification exercise could rescue the council by weeding out ghost workers, he said that despite improved revenue allocations since the inception of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, managing the council’s finances has not been easy.
“A significant portion is immediately spent on salaries. The situation today is different from what it used to be. Ughelli South pays about N270 million monthly as the wage bill for primary school teachers, making it one of the highest in the state because of the number of schools and the size of the local government.
“The council also has other responsibilities, including staff welfare, payment of traditional rulers and the day-to-day administration of the council. The State Education Board has carried out a verification exercise to establish the actual number of teachers working in the local government. They conducted biometric screening and other forms of verification, and we are awaiting the report.
“There are allegations of people who should have retired, people who falsified their ages and others who are allegedly receiving salaries without attending classes. We hope the verification will address these issues and reduce the wage burden.”
On security, Avweromre said the council participates in security meetings involving Delta South and Delta Central, where security issues are discussed and ways forward are explored.
“At the local level, we also hold meetings every month or two, where we bring together community presidents-general and other stakeholders to discuss security challenges and charge them to maintain peace in their domains,” he stated.
Ghost workers contribute to wage bill of N400m out of allocation of N450m – Avweromre