Metro
Use 25% of debt-service refunds to pay workers, Buhari pleads with governors
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on state governors to ensure the use of at least 25 per cent of the refunds they received as excess deductions for external debt service to pay outstanding salaries of workers.
The President stated this in a statement he issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, saying that he has approved the sum of N552.74billion to be paid in batches to all the states that are owed.
According to the statement, the states are expected to receive 25 per cent of their approved sums in the first instance before the week runs out.
“When he assumed office last year, the President declared an emergency on unpaid salaries, following the discovery that 27 out of the 36 states had fallen behind in the payments to their workers, in some cases for up to a year.
Read also: Whistle blowers now to get 5% of recovered loot
“Following this, a bailout loan was issued to the states twice, with a first batch of about N300bn given to them in 2015 in the form of soft loans.
“The administration also got the Debt Management Office to restructure their commercial loans of over N660bn and extended the life span of the loans.
“Because this did not succeed in pulling many of the states out of distress, the Federal government this year gave out a further N90bn to 22 states as yet another bailout loans under very stringent conditions.
“President Buhari is of the opinion that the payment of salaries and pensions must be given priority to save both serving and retired workers and their families from distress,” part of the statement reads.
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JOHNSON PETER
December 23, 2016 at 9:08 am
Those governors are clueless and so corrupt . are they expecting another bail out to pay worker’s salary? They must be so unserious.
Roland Uchendu Pele
December 23, 2016 at 10:17 am
That Nigerian governors had to be told of what is priority at this time is a big shame to us. What else would deserve the funds?
Animashaun Ayodeji
December 23, 2016 at 11:21 am
Why can’t they pay their workers from the state’s account, why wait for the federal government? These governors need to be probed.
Amaka Okoro
December 24, 2016 at 5:13 am
It is greed that is worrying them nothing more
yanju omotodun
December 23, 2016 at 2:00 pm
sincerely these governors are not helping matters at all. they are worsening buhari’s government. How I wish they can be immensely supportive to the president, this government would have been better.
Amarachi Okoye
December 24, 2016 at 5:10 am
Yes the are the one making buhari not to doing well in the time. They only only think of thereselves nothing more.wicked governors
Emmanuel Alayegbami
December 23, 2016 at 2:20 pm
Buhari is surrounded by corrupt governors , the governors are just siphoning their state money into their private pockets and nothing can be done about that. and the funniest thing here is that the TSA is not in any way helpful.