Kefas: I Inherited Empty Treasury from My Predecessor

Wole Ayodele in Jalingo

Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has finally revealed that his predecessor, Darius Ishaku, left an empty treasury to him when he assumed office.

Kefas disclosed this yesterday at the opening ceremony of a 5- day professional development workshop for Secretaries of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the State government held in Jalingo.

Notwithstanding the empty coffers, the governor stressed that he has been consistent with the payment of salaries and pensions of civil servants in the state.

Represented by the Head of Service of the State, Suzie Nathan, Kefas maintained that his administration was committed to the welfare of its workforce and would do everything possible to boost their morale.

“You will recall that in my inauguration speech, I clearly stated that I will revitalise the public service and restore the integrity of the civil service, which has been bastardised through favouritism and political considerations.

“The welfare of workers and pensioners was top on my 5-point development agenda for Taraba State and I will remain focused on that till we’re able to achieve our objective.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, despite the empty coffers we met on the ground since taking office on May 29, 2023, I have made sure that employee salaries are paid on time and in addition to meeting our commitments to pay pensioners, we have also added those who had previously been off the payroll, allowing them to continue receiving their monthly pensions without interruption.

“Let me reassure you that my administration will continue to place a high priority on your welfare because a happy workforce will be committed, diligent, and forward-thinking.

“Therefore, as this administration stabilises and puts its development plan into action, I ask for the steadfast support, loyalty, and collaboration of the whole Civil Service in implementing our strategies and goals,” he said.

The governor revealed that the state would soon conduct a biometric data capture of civil servants to authenticate the true size of its workforce as well as employ talented young men and women into the service.