The Abia State Government has said it will sack any treasurer or head of service in the 17 local government areas who fail to submit their council’s wage bill on or before the 12th of every month.It said any worker found to be aiding and abetting fraud through the padding of staff salaries would be dismissed.The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. I. Ochu, who spoke with reporters in Umuahia, the state capital, was reacting to allegations that the government is owing council workers January and February salaries.Ochu said the workers have been paid January salary, while that of February is in the bank awaiting the clearance of their wage bills by the local government auditor-general, when they are sent by the treasurers.He said: “The delay in the payment is the fault of the council treasurers and heads of service, as they have refused to submit their wage bills between the 10th and 12th of every month as expected.”The permanent secretary said Governor Theodore Orji has directed that workers should be paid on the 20th of every month, but those in charge of workers’ salary do not make the wage bills available to the auditor-general on time.He said in January, only nine local governments submitted their wage bill and only six did in February. Ochu said: “As I am talking to you, Bende local government has not submitted its wage bill for January. We have decided to deal decisively with all erring treasurers and their heads of service, as we can no longer allow them to continue destabilising the plans of the government for workers.” state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Eze Idima said the delay in the preparation of the wage bill was because some treasurers, who were suspended by the government, had just returned to their duty posts.