By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI—GOVERNOR Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Tuesday, declared that he would abide by the decision of the committee set up to look into the payment of workers’ salaries in the state.

Governor Umahi gave the assurance during a key stakeholders’ meeting at the International Conference Centre, ICC, Abakaliki, even as former Governor Sam Egwu was appointed the head of the committee.

Other committee members include the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Kelechi Igwe as Vice Chairman and Reverend Father Abraham Nwali as Secretary. The Committee also has representations from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, traditional rulers, Divine Mandate Campaign Organization, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, among others.

The committee’s terms of reference include, to fish out all the ghost workers in the state, block all financial leakages and to sit together and see the areas of engagement based on the economic realities in the country.

In his remarks, Governor Umahi who emphasized that the present administration was not at war with workers in the state, noted that he would ensure that all the promises he made to workers during his electioneering campaigns were fulfilled in no distant time.

According to him, the state government had identified over 600 ghost workers and 20 non-existent schools in the state.

Umahi, who disagreed with Labour’s demand for the implementation of the new salary structure for workers in the state, argued that its implementation would hamper the smooth running of government activities.

The committee, which had already commenced work was constituted to reconcile the state government and Labour as it concerned the most appropriate wage structure needed for the payment of workers’ salaries in the state.