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The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has addressed the ongoing concerns regarding certain deductions from the salaries of civil servants within the state.
Otti provided this clarification during his monthly media engagement with journalists at the Government House in Umuahia on Friday evening.
He stated that the government had undertaken investigations following complaints from some civil servants regarding these salary deductions.
The investigation findings indicated that the transition from the 2018/2019 tax rate to the current tax rate used for salary deductions was the cause of the discrepancies.
“A lot of people who felt their salaries were being reduced, when we investigated those complaints, we found that what actually happened was that before now an old tax rate was being applied.
“The 2018/2019 tax rate was being applied, and there was a 2021/2022 tax law, which of course, has come into effect.
“I find it difficult to accept that somebody is pinching salaries, then how do you even do it, because the money leaves the account of the state and hits the account of the beneficiary?
“So, at what point would somebody deduct the salaries, and if you deduct, where do you take it to?
The governor also said that the government had investigated the complaint about salary disparity in some Local Government Areas of the state and “we found that it is not true”.
Naija News reports that Otti also credited the advancement to tax deductions, utilizing the existing rate.
He stated that the government had formulated a policy permitting the disbursement of overtime allowances to civil servants who undertake “overtime duties,” contingent upon the government’s request.
He said, “If you were getting paid overtime and you were getting some overtime, now the government says you are not supposed to work overtime.
“Except if there is a need for that and it is the government that would ask you to do that.
“I think that is what people are mistaking for salary being deducted.”
Speaking on the issue of a new minimum wage, Otti said his administration had set up a committee to look into the issue as more clarifications from the federal government were needed.
He said: “You know the minimum wage announcement was just about the minimum wage of N70,000.
“What that means is that every other person’s salary would go up.
“So, it is not just going to be a minimum wage for civil servants. Every other salary would be adjusted accordingly.”
He stated that the government and the Nigerian Labour Congress are currently collaborating to devise a feasible solution that aligns with the limited resources of the state.
Otti mentioned that the government has prioritized the matter of the new minimum wage.
“As we even prepare for a review of the budget after the virement, we are already making provisions for an increase of salaries on the basis of the new minimum wage,” he said.
The governor addressed the distribution of Abia’s allocation of rice trucks from the Federal Government to the populace.
He stated that the administration made a decision to allocate palliative assistance primarily to the most impoverished individuals in society, as well as to those employed in the lowest tiers of the civil service.
The post Abia Gov’t Gives Reason For Salary Deduction appeared first on Naija News.
