The names of non-performing Governors, may soon be published by the Federal Government, as the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, decrying the controversies surrounding the Federal Government’s refund of the Paris and London Clubs loan.
According to the CNPP, which is the umbrella body of all registered political parties and associations in Nigeria, it was immoral for State Governors to receive the reimbursements, and yet owe their workers salaries.
While urging on President Buhari to intervene, the group also called on the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to publish refunded details for each State.
Recall, that the President had in December last year, approved a whopping sum of N522.74 billion, to be disbursed to States, as reimbursement for over-deductions on the external debt service.
Despite the huge sum given, the Secretary General, CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu, lamented that, “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 bailout funds they received.“If the Federal Ministry of Finance does not want to be seen as collaborators in the ongoing corruption at State levels, which led to non-payment of salaries in the first place, the details of payment to each State, must be published on newspapers and on their website, for workers 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.
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