controversies surrounding federal government’s refund of over deductions
from the state governments’ allocations between 1995 and 2002 to settle
Paris and London Clubs loan, urging the Minister of Finance and the all
state governors to publish details of payments to each state.
President Muhammadu Buhari had early December last year approved a total of
N522.74 billion to be disbursed to states as reimbursement for over
deductions on the external debt service.
The CNPP, which is the umbrella body of all registered political parties
and associations in Nigeria, in a statement signed by its Secretary
General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, noted that it was immoral for states to
receive the reimbursements and yet owe their workers salary arrears.
“We have observed with dismay that most states are still owing their
workers several months of salary and pension arrears.
“It is immoral for State governors owing civil servants’ salaries not to
pay now, having received huge amounts as reimbursements from the Federal
Government.
“More worrisome is the spate of controversies surrounding the refund as
some states now claim they are yet to receive the reimbursement, while
workers at both the state and local government levels were left without
their sufferings ameliorated by their state governors.
“We are amazed that these same state governments that are owing their
pensioners and workers received Presidential bailout funds for the purpose
of settling the salary arrears, which they eventually pocketed.
“The CNPP is now disturbed that from the body language of most of our
Governors, the over deduction refunded to states may go down the drains
just like the President Buhari’s bailout funds they received.
“If the Federal Ministry of Finance does not want to be seen as
collaborators in ongoing corruption at state levels, which led to
nonpayment of salaries in the first place, the details of payment to each
state must be published on newspapers and on their website for worker to be
able to hold their state government accountable.
“In the same vein, we demand that all state governors publish the details
of the reimbursement as they received from the federal government.
“As a recent report put it, only three states, namely Lagos, Enugu and
Rivers are paying salaries as at when due, which is not good for a society
where majority of the citizens are suffering as a result of increasing
hardship on the land.
“We read in the newspapers that some state governors were lobbying the
Minister
of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, not to publish the details of the refunds given
to them.
“If true, it shows the said governors are anti people, wicked and must be
named and shamed by the Finance Minister”, the CNPP said.
END.