By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

The Imo state governor, Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday asked the Joint state Negotiating Council for the implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage to recommend for the state what it can pay.

Ihedioha spoke at the government House in Owerri, during the inauguration of the council. The joint council between the government and civil service, has the Secretary to the State Government, Uche Onyegucha and Alloy Iwuanyanwu from the workers as well as other members.

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At the event, Ihedioha said that the state spends about 73 percent of its allocation on payment of salaries and pension.

He said: “Our circumstance is peculiar and our circumstance is clear to us. You are not new to Imo state and when you want to make demands make demands on possibilities and look at the facts and also prioritize our needs.

“This is to recommend to government revised consolidated salary structure that the state resources can accommodate and maintaining the state obligation in the area of infrastructure, health, education and social services.

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“I must emphasize that presently the  state spends 75 percent of the monthly statutory allocation, in the payment of the public servant salaries and pension.

“The state is saddled with the poorly generated revenue and battling so hard and the progress we have made is because we have changed style.”

He went ahead to say that “The state government in its rebuild agenda believed that the state public service is the engine for good governance and effective service delivery.

“Since, the inception of this administration government has embarked on civil service reforms to ensured a well trained, equipped and motivated civil service that will champion an efficient respective government policies.”

“When we came in we conducted a fact finding mission at the state secretariat and we reduced the number of ministries from 32 to 18.”

Vanguard News