Professor Charles Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, revealed that the state owes the retirees in the state N14 billion.
The announcement was made by the governor on Monday during the inauguration of a nine-person committee for the State-Local Government Joint Account (JAAC).
Inaugurating the committee at the Government House in Awka shortly after the State Executive Council Meeting, Soludo also announced that the government would hire over 4,000 teachers to overhaul the state’s educational system.
“We are going to be employing over 4,000 teachers, it’ll be charged to JAAC. Meanwhile, you have over N14bn debt in terms of arrears to gratuity and pensions. Part of it we have started to pay and so on and so forth.
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“The resources aren’t there. But at the same time, you are being called upon to do some very special disruptive function. It is going to be alot of hard work. Why do I say that? Because you are being called upon to do very disruptive work at a time of major challenges in the country. Major challenges in the finances of the state and local government and you’ve been called upon to find the solution”.
According to the governor, the local system is largely two folds including its financing and administration, noting that the state would set up the local government administration.
He added that the administration of the local government was a bit challenging as the infrastructure in the various local governments including the ones that have been burnt down needed to be repaired.
“For us we have a vision to have responsibility devolve to base and to have local government that is empowered from the base, to deliver development to the grassroot. And consequently, the finances that are very limited will have to be run in a different way.
“We have a peculiar local government system where the staff and other obligations of the local government are pulled together on local government autonomy,
“I hear people talk about autonomy. If you want to implement a strict autonomy, it’ll mean that each local government will employ and pay its staff. That’s what it’ll mean but this is not the case. That’s why you find someone in Idemili working in Ayamelum and someone from Ayamelum working in Nnewi South because they have a pool system,” he said.
