Okorocha Suspends Imo Accountant General Over Non-Payment Of Workers Salaries

Okorocha Suspends Imo Accountant General Over Non-Payment Of Workers Salaries

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has suspended indefinitely the Accountant-General of the State, Stella Udogwu, over delay and non-payment of the October and November salaries of the local government workers in the state.

The governor also directed the Imo State Commissioner of Police to arrest the Branch Managers of Ecobank and Access Bank In Imo State for alleged collaboration with the accountant general to deny the payment of the workers.

The governor gave these directives on Friday at the Heroes Square in Owerri, the Imo State capital, when he attended the event to mark the 40th anniversary of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

“I had released the salaries of every worker in Imo State since the second week of October and so if local government workers are being owed, then somebody must take responsibility for it and will be dealt with according to law.

“This is a criminal act aimed at disgracing this government; what they do is that they take the money and put in the bank and collect the interest,” the governor said.

The governor said that the suspension of the accountant-general is with immediate effect. He also directed that the Chief of Staff appoint an acting accountant-general pending the appointment of a new person to the office.

He thereafter directed the immediate payment of three months’ salary including December to the workers with the addition of N10,000 each for the workers as Christmas bonus and N2.5million as car allowance for each of the Local Government Directors of Administration and General Services.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman in the state, Austin Chilakpu, in response, commended the governor for his support for workers in the state as well as the numerous projects embarked upon by the Okorocha-led-administration in the state.

Also, members of the NULGE in Imo State honoured the governor with an award of excellence for his contribution to the welfare of local government workers in Imo state.