Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka has assured primary schools teachers of the state's readiness to offset the backlog of their unpaid salaries.
The erudite scholar and Professor of Building Technology, who made this known on Friday, during the maiden 'Visit a School' tour of schools taken to St. Thomas' and St. Mary primary schools Irona, Ado Ekiti, said it was imperative and expedient to place primary schools teachers under state government in order to ensure uniformity in payments of salaries to teachers across board.
"We know you are facing challenges of non payment of salaries regularly, but I want to assure you, this is not going to be a problem that is going to last long by the grace of God," he assured.
The Deputy Governor said the inability of states to meet up with their responsibility was due to serious economic recession the APC led federal government plunged Nigeria into.
He said; "Most states rely on Federal allocation because we have problem in this country, we are not developing, and every good thing put in place economically by the last administration of PDP has been destroyed by APC. With the economic recession, we have been put in a very tight corner.
"More so, this local government issue is a big problem. It is unfortunate that primary schools teachers are still under local government, there is a need to change this. It is not something we can change in Ekiti, it is a national issue and I keep telling NUT to please keep on fighting for this."
Buttressing the need to have primary schools teachers brought under state government, Eleka said it will eliminate separation when it comes to issue of salary payment.
"Primary schools teachers should be brought under the state government. It becomes much easier when you have a whole body of teachers placed under the same umbrella, then there won't be anything like separation when it comes to issue of payment of salaries.
"The way the system is now, it is becoming very serious, especially the local governments have made it very difficult to take money out of the states' accounts to add to what is due to local government and vice-versa. You can only use what it comes to local government to pay local government workers, and what comes to state to pay state workers.
"With improvement in the price of oil in the international market, we are trusting God and believing that more money will flow-in in the next 3-4 months, and when the allocation becomes improved, then you can be rest assured that Mr Governor will not look back in offsetting everything that is outstanding," he explained.
Eleka also told the teachers that it was good for government to still own up that salary is being owed than to slash salaries by half or embark on retrenchment, downsizing, using Imo and Osun states where their workers are being 'proratedly' paid as examples.
"I am one of you and I understand your pains. My wife is a primary school teacher, I am also a teacher," he said.
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