Okorocha suspends AG over delay of workers’ salary

IMO State governor, Rochas Okorocha has announced the suspension of the Accountant General of the state, Mrs. Stella Udogwu, over the nonpayment of workers’ salaries for the month of November.

The governor also ordered for the arrest of the branch managers of Ecobank and Access Bank for the non-payment of the November salaries of the local government workers in the state.

The suspension of the accountant- general was with immediate effect. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that, “the governor had before now directed that the October and November salaries of workers in the state workforce should be paid at the same time in October.

 And the governor had believed that the directive was carried out accordingly, only to be told by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, when he attended the event to mark the 40th anniversary of the union at the Hero’s Square Owerri on November 30, 2018, that the workers had not been paid the November salary.

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“The governor who was shocked to learn of the development , announced the immediate suspension of the accountant-general and ordered for the arrest of the Branch-Managers of Ecobank and Access Bank said to be where the money for the salaries of the Local Government employees for the months of October and November were lodged.

 “The governor therefore ordered that the November and December salaries should now be paid on December 3, 2018, since December 1st and 2nd are not working days, and equally announced N10,000 each for the workers as their Christmas bonus and N2.5m as car allowance for each of the local government directors of administration and general services.

 “The governor also announced that hence forth, there won’t be any need for any local government worker to try to convert to the ministry to be able to get to level 17 or become a Permanent Secretary”.