RSG Wrests Salary Payment From Zenith Bank …To Pay Excluded Staff Three Months Salary Arrears

The Rivers State Government, has concluded plans to take over the payment of salaries to civil servants in the state from Zenith Bank this month while civil servants whose names were omitted in the November staff verification exercise by the State Government are to receive three months salary arrears.

Commissioner for Finance, Dr Chamberlain Peterside made the disclosure in a  chat with The Tide yesterday in Port Harcourt.

Dr Peterside stated that the salary arrears would only be enjoyed by staffers whose names were omitted in the audit exercise and whose data had been captured by the relevant authorities.

He said, “some people’s names did not appear, so, they came to report and did their finger prints and their ID capture, including me. So based on what we did, the three months backlog would be paid to people who didn’t get it”.

Commenting on the planned take over of the salary payment from Zenith Bank, he disclosed that the exercise was at the final stage but observed that delay came as a result of the verification exercise.

Consequently, due to efforts to get a comprehensive data base of civil servants in the state, the commissioner explained that the ministry decided to go for the  Head of Service data base which led to delay but assured that the transition was on going now.

He noted that hopefully, the state government would finally take over salaries payment from February, adding, “they have already uploaded the softeware in our ICT, so, we are getting ready and is all going to be internally driven”.

It would be recalled that the plan to conduct a staff audit exercise was occasioned by the alarm raised by the governor of the state, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi last October on the burgeoning staff salaries, which, according to him, did not reflect the actual statistics of government staffers.

PIX 2; First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan (middle)  with wife of Rivers State Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi (right)  and Dr. Mrs. Mina Ikuru, wife of Rivers State Deputy Governor, during Dame Jonathan’s arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport, recently

First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan (middle) with wife of Rivers State Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi (right) and Dr. Mrs. Mina Ikuru, wife of Rivers State Deputy Governor, during Dame Jonathan’s arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport, recently