Relief came the way of local government workers across Edo State yesterday as backlog of salaries owed them were paid amid wild jubilation.
LEADERSHIP findings indicated that local government workers received alerts showing payment for six months out of 10 months in some cases while others got seven months payment depending on how far the Paris Club Refund could go in the state.
It would be recalled that the backlog of salary arrears had brewed dissonance between the local government employees and their chairmen.
However, last week, Edo State government embarked on the payment of local government workers salary.
It was gathered that this was made possible by the Paris Club Refund allocation that accrued to the state in the first tranche.
Employees across the 18 LGAs of the state expressed joy at the governor’s decision to settle the salary arrears.
Although, some regretted that the money from the refund would go into repaying debts, they were, however, full of thanks for the governor whose intervention, according to them, would enable them lead their normal lives again economically.
Ozaveshe Gadimoh, an Akoko-Edo LGA staff in Igarra disclosed that he received the bank alert for the payment on Thursday last week.
Speaking further, he explained that information he gathered from reliable quarters within the secretariat had it that Governor Obaseki decided to set aside some of the Paris Club refund for the payment of LGAs staff salary arrears.