Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has expressed shock over the killing of the member representing Dass Constituency at the State House of Assembly (BAHA) Hon. Musa Mante Baraza by unknown gunmen.
The governor who led top government officials on a condolence visit to the palace of Emir of Dass and the residence of the deceased yesterday, sympathized with the immediate family of the lawmaker, Dass Emirate council, his colleagues in the State House of Assembly over the loss.
He described Mante’s demise as a great loss to the state and promised to take more stiffer measures to address security concerns in the area.
The governor who condemned the killing of the lawmaker assured the constituents of the commitment of his administration to guarantee the security of their lives and properties.
Meanwhile, the governor has apologized to civil servants in the state who are yet to receive their salaries, saying that he has directed the Commissioner of Finance to ensure that all those affected were paid immediately.
Mohammed stated this yesterday while receiving the implementation committee report on Bank Verification Number in respect of the 41,448 civil servants on the government payroll, at the government house Bauchi.
The governor said that Bauchi State had always had the resources to pay salaries and allowances since he assumed office, adding that the challenge the government had encountered was that of data.
He said: “We cannot just do table payment or verification leaving payment of salaries for one month, but I am aware that some people have not received their salaries.
“These are some cases, because if we have formed a committee that recommended that we have so many people, an implementation committee that is scuttled somehow because of policy somersault and some people are living under the pain of lack of salaries.
“They may be few in number, but their matter mean so much to us and on behalf of the government, I apologise over this situation.
“Based on the recommendation of the Senator Adamu Gumba led Committee, I have since directed the Commissioner of Finance to ensure that these people are paid immediately and we are going to open a desk in the office of the head of service and finance.
“All those people who feel that they are innocent and are indicted, are free to come forward with documents,” the governor said.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the implementation Committee report on BVN of workers of Government Payroll, Senator Adamu Ibrahim Gumba said on the inception of the committee, it was meant to handle 41,448 civil servants on the payroll of the government.
But when work commenced, he said the accountant general “gave only 29,519 names. Out of the number, the committee cleared 24,767 staff and pensioners while 5,049 staff and pensioners were given to the implementation committee to handle.
He said that the committee had succeeded in removing massive fraud from the payroll of the state government and saved the sum of N225.5 million.
