By; Evelyn Dadu, Abuja.
Staff of the Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja will smile soon as the FCT Minister Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello has offered to pay two, out of the three months salaries owed them, the cause of which they went on strike.
Speaking through his Special Assistant Media, Alhaji Sani Abubakar while interacting with the FCT Press Corps, the Minister said the Area Councils operate independent accounts and that 90 percent of their federal allocation goes to them without a hitch but the bail out to them is to enable them pay the outstanding salaries.
He said the FCT administration, through the bailout, takes care of two months salaries but the Area Councils must source for funds that will enable them pay the remaining one month owed the staff without further delay.
Furthermore, Mallam Bello warned that Area Councils must not allow issues deteriorate to such level in the future, even as he expressed surprise by the number of staff in the Local Education Authority in Area Councils who were over four thousand personnel.
The Minister therefore announced that a biometric exercise will commence soon in all the Area Councils in Abuja for personnel auditing, to ascertain the actual number of staff.
He therefore warned the Area Councils to stop deficit budgeting in the future. He said, “stop engaging in deficit budgeting. Ensure you are able to fund your budgets in the future”.
