Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State

Nasarawa State Government has announced several austerity measures as the effect of dwindling revenue allocation from the Federation Account bites hard.

The Commissioner for Finance, Dr Dominic Bako, made this known at a news conference in Lafia on Friday.

Bako said that civil servants and political appointees will be paid only 60 per cent of their October salary.

He said that the state government would pay the  arrears of monthly shortfall in due course.

Bako also said that the state governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura, had suspended payment to contractors  and ordered that more funds should be channelled to shoring  up the amount available for payment of salaries for October.

“Governor Tanko Al-Makura has directed that accruals and disbursement of receipt from the federation account be fully disclosed to the general public in accordance with his avowed commitment to ensuring accountability and openness in the conduct of government activities.

“The total receipts from the Federation account for the month of October  was N2,396,908,361.89 and the total disbursement for the month of October stood at  N2,050,730,979.49.

“We are left with only N346, 177,372.30 representing 30 per cent as salaries to core civil servants and political appointees.

“This is a far cry from the sum of N929, 389,372. 56 required,” he said.

Bako said government had allocated N102.1 million to pay the allowances of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

“Overhead cost will gulp N348.7 million, Judiciary N155.9 million, State House of Assembly  N82.7 million, State University, Keffi,  N129 million and College of Education, Akwanga,  N108.2 million.”

The commissioner called on the workers and citizens to appreciate the efforts of the government to ameliorate the harsh economic conditions the state and the nation were passing through. (NAN)

BAB/