Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State has said that despite the financial challenge faced by the state, it was wrong for any one to insinuate that it was a failed state.
This came on a day a group of All Progressives Congress, APC,youths advised the governor against contesting the forthcoming governorship election in the state scheduled for November 21 this year.
The governor, who stated this during an interactive session with some journalists in Abuja, weekend, noted that the state was viable and had been meeting all its obligations as at when due.
According to the governor, contrary to the falsehood being spread by the opposition in the state that the state is owing its workers over eight months salary arrears, the government is owing workers only one month arrears of salary.
He said: “Kogi is not a failed state, Kogi is not bankrupt. As we speak, we are owing the workers only one month salary arrears and not eight months or even two months as being speculated.
‘’We have made prompt payment of salaries our priority, our workers received their salaries between 22nd and 25th of every month since I assumed office.
“The problem of the one month salary arrears came in May this year when there was a shortfall from the Federal Government allocation, when we received only N2.7 billion and we needed close to N3.7 billion to meet our obligations.
‘’We had to go to the bank for overdraft, this problem is not peculiar to Kogi State alone; it is a general problem nationwide because of the economic problem the nation is facing. So, Kogi is not bankrupt and not a failed state.”
Speaking on the forthcoming governorship election and the speculation that Kogi people would not vote for him for second time, Governor Wada said he had not decided on whether he would contest or not.
The governor stated: “If I decide to contest, I am sure the Almighty God that saw me through when I first contested will see me through this time around.
