AbdulRazaq releases N250m for salaries of colleges staff

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara has ordered the release of N250 million for the payment of salaries of workers in the state-owned Colleges of Education.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye said in a statement in Ilorin on Friday that the money was for the payment of May and June 2019 salaries.

He listed the benefiting colleges to include; Kwara State College of Education, Oro; Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin and Kwara State College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi.

Others are Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), Ilorin; Kwara State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Ilorin and Kwara State College of Nursing, Oke Ode.

According to the Ajakaye, the ongoing industrial action by the staff of the colleges of education will end with the release of the N250 million to pay at least two months of their outstanding salaries.

“The total amount the governor released for salary payment is 250,774, 328.34. This covers salary for the months of May and June,” Rafiu Ajakaye added.

Ajakaye gave the governor’s assurance of subsequent prompt payment of salaries.

He also said that the governor promised to gradually offset the arrears of salaries inherited from the previous administration which led to the strike in the colleges.

“Concerned about the status of the schools, the governor also approved additional N25 million for the College of Education (Technical) Lafiagi for immediate re-accreditation and N24.8 million for CAILS for re-accreditation.

“It is the intention of this administration to stabilise Kwara for growth.

“Greater things are coming but the governor is working round the clock to first restore normalcy across all sectors,” he said.

It was reported that staff of the Colleges of Education had long embarked on strike to protest the non-payment of their salaries and other administrative issues, leading to the shutting down of the schools.

Ajakaye also said the governor had approved the immediate payment of N49.7 million as counterpart funds for FADAMA project.

The sum, he added, includes an outstanding sum of N13.9 million third national FADAMA Development Project Additional financing for 2018 and N35.9 million already due as 2019 counterpart fund for the same project.

An initiative of the World Bank, FADAMA seeks to empower local farmers with some funds to boost their production of staple foods like rice, cassava and sorghum in irrigable land area

The project was financed through a counterpart funding arrangement between the World Bank and the participating states, including Kwara, which had so far benefited up to 4,685,500 dollars since it keyed into the programme.