Lafia – Mr Labaran Maku, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has appealed to state governors to settle all workers’ outstanding salaries before the end of 2016.

Maku, a former Minister of Information, made the call while addressing newsmen on Tuesday at Wakama Village in Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.

According to him, governors who are still paying workers in fractions should be more sensitive to the needs of the people given the hardship confronting them due to the current economic recession.

He said the key factors that would bring the country out of recession were when the purchasing power of the people was improved on, employment generated and money pumped into the economy.

He said that Nigeria should emulate the success stories of United States of American (USA) and other countries that had recently got out of recession stronger.

He added that as a stakeholder in Nasarawa State, he was appealing to Gov. Umaru Al-Makura to settle the balance of the salary arrears and pay all subsequent salaries in full.

He explained that apart from the loan the governor had collected since 2011, the state was given bailout by the Federal Government to offset workers’ salaries.

Maku said, “Apart from all these, the state government had received over N20 billion as over deduction from the Paris Club and the President had directed that the money should be used to upset salary arrears.

“Why are they still paying workers in percentage despite the loans, bailout, Paris Club deductions, monthly allocations, internally generated revenue (IGR) among other several interventions, collected by the state government. ”

He also advised the Nasarawa State Government to pay NECO and WASSEC registration fees of the final year students of that all secondary schools in the state.

He said because parents were receiving salaries in fractions, they were finding it difficult to feed and pay the school fees of their children, hence, the call on the government to come to their rescue.

Maku also called on the people of the state to pray for the state and the entire country sincerely so that God would intervene and help the country out of its present hardship.

He also appealed to the public to be peaceful, love one another irrespective of the differences in tribes, religions and political affiliations.