The Plateau Government has paid eight months salary arrears totaling N9. 8 billion it inherited from the last administration, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mallam Muhammad Nazif, has said.
The commissioner, who made the announcement on Monday in Jos while briefing newsmen at the maiden monthly press briefing, said that part of pension arrears was also paid.
He said that the administration of Gov. Simon Lalong inherited backlog of pension/gratuity arrears amounting to N10 billion.
“With the bailout of N5.3 billion and N5.2 billion, payment of the whole salary arrears and part of pension arrears was effected.
“Out of the bailout, local governments were also given N2.5 billion to settle all outstanding salaries of their staff.
“As at today, all salaries from June 2015 to May 2016 amounting to N19.5 billion have been paid while June salary is being transmitted,”he said.
The commissioner said that N1.65 billion had been paid as pension from June to December 2015, adding that that of January 2016 would soon be paid.
He said that pensions of staff of higher institutions for December 2015 to March 2016 amounting to N116. 7 million had been paid.
According to Nazif, 500 retirees who had been on the waiting list since 2012 have been placed on pension by the administration while the harmonization of 529 pensioners was also done.
He said that the government had ensured implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) in line with international benchmark for evaluating government accounting practices.
The commissioner said that N19.67 billion commercial bank loans which attracted 17.5 per cent interest had been restructured to Federal Government bond with lower interest of N12 per cent per annum. (NAN)