Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed has promised improved welfare packages for teachers in the state as internally generated revenue improves.
Governor Ahmed made the pledge at the Teachers House, Ilorin, the state capital on the occasion of the 2016 World Teachers Day, with the theme “Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status.
The Governor pledged that teachers in the state would continue to enjoy better support from the government because teachers are important in the development of the society.
He noted that challenges facing teachers should be looked at from a national perspective in order to get the required attention in proffering solutions to the problems.
Governor Ahmed attributed inability to pay salaries across the country to age-long reliance on proceeds from oil, promising that better days are ahead in the state with the improved internally generated revenue.
He said that workers in Kwara state have been paid promptly as a result of the state’s improved internally generated revenue from N500m to 1.5b monthly, stressing that this was achieved through improved collection process rather than through fresh taxes.
The Governor further noted that as a result of improved revenue generation, the newly launched funding scheme known as Kwara Infrastructure development fund, IFK, will be used to finance the construction of the Geri Alimi Diamond underpass, dualise roads, build two campuses at Osi and Ilesha Baruba, renovate secondary schools, hospitals and many more projects across the state.
He assured that as long as taxes are paid people will continue to get value for their money stressing that governance has to be transparent.
Governor Ahmed charged teachers in the state to help his government with relevant information with a view to identifying ghost teachers in the state.
Earlier in his address, the State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Musa Abubakar expressed concern over the current economic challenges, saying that workers and Teachers in particular are the worst hit by the present economic crisis as 27 states cannot not pay teachers’ salary.
Comrade Abubakar urged the Federal Government to take over the responsibilities of funding primary education as the finance of the local government is over-burdened and cannot cope with such responsibilities.
