The Chairman of Bali Local Government Council in Taraba State, Hon. Dauda Dakka, on Friday, denied media reports that he had stopped the salaries of 100 staff of the local government for four months.
Dakka refuted the media reports while interacting with journalists in Jalingo, the state capital, stating that he inherited the problem and was working diligently to address the issue.
He said, “When I assumed office, I inherited this problem, and upon inquiry, I discovered that most of the affected individuals were relatives of deceased or retired staff.
“Some individuals retired or transferred their service, and instead of removing their names from the payroll, the account numbers of their relatives were fraudulently substituted for their own, making it challenging for banks to pay them.
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“When we uncovered this, we ordered the compilation of all affected persons, and out of the 37 names discovered in the fraudulent act, names of eight genuine local government staff mistakenly found their way on the list and are also being affected.
“In February this year, I officially wrote to the Local Government Service Commission, and they provided the names of the affected persons, promising to rectify the issue.
“It is unfortunate that the problem was not rectified in the payment of last month’s salaries, and I am still following up on the issue to ensure its resolution,” he said.
Dakka emphasised that the media reports were aimed at tarnishing the image of the local government and the administration of Governor Agbu Kefas, who is tirelessly working to improve the well-being of the people of the state.
He appealed to the genuinely affected staff to remain calm, assuring them that everything possible was being done to address the problem in the shortest time possible.
Tribune Online reports that some staff of the local government have earlier in the week protested over the non-payment of their four months owed salaries, and accused the Chairman of being the brain behind their ordeal.