Following punlic outcry over salaries owed civil servants by stste governments and with recent development in Kogi stste where a mam vommitted suicide due to frustrayions over delayed salaries, the House of Representatives has directed its ad-hoc committee on bail out funds which is yet to submit its report to expedite action on it and investigate the payment of salary using the bail out funds by the State
The lower house expressed concerns the attitude of some governors despite having collected billions as bail out to facilitate same consequently gave the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), one week to explain the utilization of the funds by States.
These resolutions followed the consideration and adoption of a motion entitled “Urgent need to save the people of Kogi State”, moved by Hon. Karimi Sunday Steve (PDP, Kogi) which was unanimously supported on the floor.
Hon. Karimi while debating the motion told members that salary bail out fund is funded by the public finance of the federal government of Nigeria,and as such, the parliament has authority to query the bail out funds disbursement and utilization.
Recall that a senior civil servant in Kogi State, Mr. Edward Soje who was said to have been owed eleven months salary was reported to have committed suicide owing to the fact that he could not meet his obligations as a husband especially when his wife had delivered triplet the previous week.
“The condition and situation of Mr. Soje is the lot of majority of the Kogi State Civil Servants both at the State and Local Government Levels and the State Government has refused and opposed any effort by any authority to investigate the payment or non-payment of staff salaries.
