Kogi spends N80b on workers salaries yearly, refutes plans to downsize workforce

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Kogi State Government on Monday said it had no plans to downsize its workforce in the present or the near future in spite of huge wage bills and dwindling resources accruing to it.

Dr Moses Atakpa, the state Head of service (HOS) who disclosed this while addressing newsmen as part of activities marking his four years in office in Lokoja said the government was not and would not contemplate such move.

Atakpa said that to the best of his knowledge, government was not contemplating reduction of workers as a possible alternative to manage the astronomical wage bill and described any information in that regard as mere speculation.

Presently, according to him, efforts are being harnessed to strengthen the civil service as the mechanism charged with implementing government policies to take the state to the next stage of development and provide quality service for Kogi people.

“We have seen a lot of stability and the government has been able to keep the workforce in better state of mind, the Transformation Agenda of the present administration is on course.

“In terms of logistics provision, the governor, Capt. Idris wada has been very upright. He is highly committed to workers’ welfare and he is up-to-date in terms of salary payment with exception of July salary which is expected to be paid any moment from now.

“In comparison with other states, there is a commitment on the part of the governor. He has a personal commitment, he is passionate about service and we are in good stead in terms of salary payment”, he said.

On the recent pronouncement by the state Deputy Governor, Mr Yomi Awoniyi that that the entire resources accruing to the state yearly was about N80 billion and about N75 million was expended on salaries, Atakpa conceded that finance was a major problem of the state.

He said that though the service was stable, it was not finding it easy as the viability of any organization depended on the finances available to it.

“Like we are talking about payment of salaries, the government is not finding it easy, the pressure is there and effort is needed to contain the pressure but we thank God for the stability of the process and we are moving forward”, he said.

The Head of Service who assumed office in August, 2011 under erstwhile Governor Ibrahim Idris, described his four years in office as pleasant though eventful.