Today, former local government Councillors protested outside Government House, demanding payment of their arrears. While the plight of the protesting ex Councillors is unfortunate especially during these difficult times, it is pertinent to state that the Kwara State Government is not responsible for the said arrears as the Councillors served local government councils, a separate tier of government which gets it allocation directly from the Federal Government as does the state government.
Although the state government recognizes their right to peaceful protests, the protesters are advised to channel their demands to the individual local government councils that are owing them.
Meanwhile, the Ahmed administration stands ready to support the councils to pay these and other arrears as demonstrated by the recent release of N2b to local councils, including N100m, towards offsetting the arrears owed political office holders, out of the recent Paris Club Refund as well as the ongoing efforts to shore up their internally generated revenue.
Alhaji Mahmud Tunde Ajeigbe
Commissioner for Information and Communications