By Nosakhare Agbonigiarhuoyi
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has advocated the use of technology in the collection of revenue across the 18 local government areas of the State.
Obaseki made the case during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Edo State chapter of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 at Government House, Benin City, the State capital.
“We must introduce technology, so that we see how much we are collecting. I will not allow ticketing. Let us see how much is coming in. Let people pay with their cards. Let them pay electronically, so that the money goes into the bank, and we all will see how it is being spent”, he said.
Speaking on the challenges at the local councils, the Governor said: “I have always been worried about the local governments, and I have always expressed it. I have always expressed my concern about the way local governments operate because you can see at the State level what we have done to stabilize the State.
“We don’t have many problems. Since I came, there’s been no month I’ve not paid salaries. I have moved all our workers to the contributory pension scheme. So the pension problems we are dealing with are the historical ones.
“If we have done it for the State, I would love to do it for the local governments. But there are challenges, and I believe that working with you we can get to the bottom of it before I leave office so that we can resolve these problems in the long-term.
“The quarrel about collection of revenue or no collection, as far as I am concerned, we are going to get through that. What we need to do is to agree to transparently collect, handover your money to you and watch transparently how that money is used.”
In his remark, President of NULGE, Mr. Lazarus Imokhai Adorolo, lauded the governor on the recent increase in the minimum wage of civil servants, and the developmental strides the State has recorded under the watch of Obaseki.
“We note with great excitement the increment in the minimum wage from N30,000 to N40,000 for civil servants in Edo State, as announced during the last workers’ day celebration. No gift would have been most inspiring. We also recall that even currently, there are some states that have refused to implement the N30,000 minimum wage. So we also want to commend you for that.
The NULGE President appealed to the Governor to assist in resolving issues related to the non-remittance of revenue collected on behalf of the local councils as well as deductions for teachers’ salaries, amongst others.
