Finance Commissioner, Dr. Hauwa Nuru, disclosed this in a statement, adding that the remaining workers who have not got their November pay were those yet to be captured in the ongoing registration exercise, among other pending issues.

The government further said 97% of the SUBEB teachers and employees had been paid their salary for the month, while the pending 3% were those without the state residents registration agency requirements.

The government position came on the heels of the demand by the state NLC for the affected workers to be paid or they might be forced to down tool.

Labour had said over 50 per cent of the affected workers, including the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), were affected.

NLC Secretary, Comrade Isiah Elachochi Eigege, in the statement pleaded with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to direct relevant authorities to swiftly work on the matter and release the withheld November salaries.

He said the appeal became necessary to avert the looming industrial disquiet in the councils and the declaration of a total shutdown of the state.

It said it would not accept the payment of December salary without the full payment of November wages.

But according to the government, 77% of the workforce in the local government has been paid, while the remaining 23% were those who have not complied with the Kwara State Resident Registration Agency (KWSRRA) requirements.

“These figures of the state, SUBEB, and local government areas contradict the claim that 75% or 45% of the workforce have not been paid.

“We had earlier engaged with representatives of the NLC where we provided clear data on how things stood. We also explained how those who have not got theirs can go about it if they are truly bonafide workers,” it stated.

The statement urged any genuine employee yet to get their November salary to validate their claims with KWSRRA and the Ministry of Finance.

“The exercise to register every resident in the state for accurate data, security purposes, and sanitization of the payroll system is an endeavor that every citizen should support. We assure workers that the administration remains committed to prompt payment of their salary and welfare, as has been the hallmark of the government,” the statement added.