President Muhammadu Buhari has
expressed concern on the growing complaints and agitations by workers in states
over unpaid salaries and allowances, in spite of interventions by the Federal
Government.
Buhari made his feelings known when he
received a group of governors led by the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’
Forum, Abdul’Aziz Yari, at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday.
The Federal government had on May 4
released details of the second tranche of Paris Club refund to States totalling
N243.795 billion.
Breakdown of the payment, showed that
Abia got N5.72 billion; Adamawa, N6.11 billion; Akwa Ibom, N10 billion;
Anambra, N6.12 billion; Bauchi, N6.88 billion; Bayelsa, N10 billion; Benue,
N6.85 billion; and Borno N7.34 billion.
Cross River got N6.08 billion, Delta,
N10 billion; Ebonyi, N4.51 billion; Edo, N6.09 billion; Ekiti, N4.77 billion;
Enugu, N5.36 billion; Gombe, N4.47 billion; Imo, N7 billion; Jigawa, N7.11
billion; and Kaduna, N7.72 billion.
Kano got N10 billion, Katsina, N8.2
billion; Kebbi, N5.98 billion; Kogi, N6.03 billion; Kwara, N5.12 billion;
Lagos, N8.37 billion; Nasarawa, N4.55 billion; Niger, N7.2 billion; and Ogun,
N5.7 billion.
Others were Ondo, N7 billion; Osun,
N6.3 billion; Oyo, N7.9 billion; Plateau, N5.64 billion; Rivers, N10 billion;
Sokoto, N6.44 billion; Taraba, N5.61 billion; Yobe, N5.41 billion; Zamfara,
N5.44 billion; and the Federal Capital Territory, N684 million.
The refund is in respect of
over-deductions on Paris Club, London Club Loans and Multilateral debts between
1995 and 2002.
Meanwhile, the President said the
plight of workers in the states needed urgent attention as many could barely
survive.
He said “How can anyone go to bed and
sleep soundly when workers have not been paid their salaries for months.
“I actually wonder how the workers
feed their families, pay their rents and even pay school fees for their
children,’’.
Buhari told the governors that two out
of the three-pronged focus of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to
secure the country and fight corruption had received some commendable reviews
by the people.
He added that the challenge in payment
of salaries in states had taken a toll on the people.
The President said the Federal
Government and state executives would need to work closely together to
ameliorate the situation of workers across the country.
He said, “God has been merciful in
hearing the prayers of his servants so the rainy season has been good, you can
ask the Kebbi State Governor on this, and our enormous food importation bill
has gone down.’’
He added that he had instructed all
government agencies to comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in order
to ensure more transparency and prudence in accounting for the revenues of the
government and the sharing of entitlements with states.
While speaking, Chairman of the
Governors’ Forum said the various interventions by the Federal Government,
which included the bailouts, were judiciously utilized by the states.
He added that the governors inherited
backlog of unpaid salaries and huge debts portfolios on assumption of office.
Governors of Ondo, Bauchi, Jigawa,
Kwara, Akwa Ibom and the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State were among those who
visited the President.
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