Bankruptcy: As Kogi State Mistakenly paid a teachers N1.6bn

The Kogi State Government on Sunday claimed that it paid N1.6 billion to teachers in primary and junior secondary schools in the state in excess of their salaries between September 2013 and December 2014.

Malam Nuhu Ahmed, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, said the mistake arose from a faulty payment chart used in the implementation of the new national minimum wage to the teachers.

Speaking in Lokoja to newsmen, Ahmed said the excess paid in error represented one month wage bill of all the teachers in public primary and junior secondary schools in the state.

Reacting to a peaceful demonstration to his office on August 14 by the teachers on non-payment of their December 2014 salary, he said the teachers had received the salary in error.

On whether or not the government would accede to the demand of one month salary by the teachers, Ahmed said the final decision lay with the state government.

Ohino Baiye, the state Chairman of the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria, nonetheless, disagreed with Ahmed, insisting that no teacher in the state was paid December 2014 salary as he claimed.

Baiye said: “Salary payments to teachers since the assumption of office of Ahmed in February have been fraught with anomalies like omissions and underpayment.

“For instance, teachers in Okene, Ajaokuta, Omala, Ofu and Olamaboro local government governments just received their November 2014 salaries few days ago as a result of omissions.”

He also listed non-payment of leave entitlements, promotion/incremental step allowances and partial implementation of the new minimum wage as some of their grievances.

Baiye’s argument notwithstanding, Ahmed insisted that the inability of the board to pay full salary to the teachers in July was due to the limited available fund to the board.

He also blamed the non-payment of leave bonus and other allowances to the teachers on the inability of the headmasters and principals of junior secondary schools to present credible nominal rolls.

He, therefore, urged teachers who claimed that their names were omitted in nominal rolls to complain to the board and get their salary.