Despite Court Order Freezing State, LG Joint Account, Katsina Pays Council Workers February Salaries

Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

The Katsina State Government has paid the February salaries of its local government workers despite the freezing of the state and local government joint account by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Umar Ya’u Gwojo-Gwojo, in an interview with journalists in Katsina Friday, confirmed that the February salaries of the local government workforce have been paid.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, in a garnishing order issued on February 16, 2022, freezed the state and local governments joint account following the inability of the state government to pay the entitlements of the dissolved local government chairmen and councillors.

The court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, in a suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/122/2022, ordered that the state and local government joint account should be frozen till March 21, 2022.

But Gwojo-Gwojo, during the media chat, said the state government has paid the February salaries of the local government workforce and arrangements were on for the payment of their March salaries.

He said: “Yes, the state local government joint account has been freezed but we source for funds and paid the February salaries of our local government workers. We didn’t borrow from anybody. And we will pay the March salary.”

The commissioner explained that all the entitlements of the dissolved local government chairmen and councillors amounting to over N1 billion have been paid in accordance with the directive of the court.

He reiterated that the state government would present all evidence of payment before the Federal High Court on the next adjournment date of March 21, 2022.

He, however, said the garnishing order by the court would not affect the April 11 local government elections in the state, adding that any plan by the opposition to truncate the poll will not succeed.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari on assumption of office in 2015, sacked the 34 local government council chairmen and their 361 councillors over what he termed financial misappropriation by the dissolved officials.

The sacked council officials, all from the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), went to court to challenge what they described as the illegal removal from office by Masari where they got a judgment in their favour by the Supreme Court.

The apex court, in a unanimous judgment in May last year, declared the sack of the council officials as “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void” and ordered the state government to pay the sacked officials their entitlements for the remainder of their tenure.