The Kogi State Office of Social Investment Programme (SIP), has refuted media reports alleging non-payment of staffers’ two-month salary arrears, mismanagement of resources and staff retrenchment.
A statement by Hon. Abdulkareem Onyekehi Suleiman, the SIP Focal Person in the state, on Monday in Lokoja, said that the report was “malicious and a misconception of truth”.
According to Suleiman, upon resumption of my new office as State Focal Person, National Social Investment Programme three months ago, I have paid two months salaries so far.
”The subventions for the agency come from Local Governments (LG) for salaries and running costs of the office; and until all the local governments remitted the SIP mandates, the inflows will be inadequate for payment of salaries.
”The SIP mandates from Local Governments do not come as blanket fund at a time but received from local government based on the financial capacity of each local government and terms of payments.
”It is good to stress that the salary payments of staffers and remitted mandates to SIP have rather been improved since my assumption in office,” Suleiman restated.
On the allegation of retrenchment and reshufflement of some staffers, the focal person said that it was carried out based on the restructuring of the office for effective service delivery.
”The retrenchment and reshufflement that we did, were based on the restructuring of the office for effective service delivery in the best interest of the new direction government,” he said.
He, however, assured that July salary of staffers had been scheduled for payment this week even though the mandates from Local Governments for July were yet to be completed.
He added that the August Mandates had just started coming in, saying until the total sum for August mandates are received from all the LGs, before the August salary could be paid.
The focal person also emphasised that there was no financial mismanagement whatsoever by his office contrary to the allegation
He, therefore, implored the media practitioners to be professional in their reportage and always write a balanced report which could only be done through proper evaluation and thorough investigation from all sides.
