The 36 governors
last night resolved to offset the backlog of salaries and pension arrears owed
civil servants in the country as soon as the next tranche of payment from the
Paris-London Club loan refunds are made. This decision was arrived at in Abuja
at
a meeting hosted on Thursday night by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors
Forum and governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar at his
Maitama Residence.
The
governors met in anticipation of the release of the other half of the
Paris-London Club refund which has been gratuitously approved for payment by
the Vice-President Professor Yemi Osibanjo.
According to Vanguard, the funds are expected to hit the
states accounts within the month. The governors who are not oblivious of the
hue and cry over the non-payment of the backlog of salaries and pension arrears
and the precarious predicament of the Nigerian worker deliberated on the matter
and concluded that in order to set the country on the path of growth, something
immediate must be done to ameliorate workers plight by offsetting the backlog
of their pay and emoluments. The governors therefore resolved as a matter of
urgency, to pay workers their due as soon as this half of the Paris Club
refunds are made.
“We all agreed that a substantial amount from the next
tranche of the Paris-London refunds be used in the settlement of workers salary
and pension arrears,” the NGF Chairman, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar disclosed. Out
of the N522.74bn owed N388.304 was paid to states last December. Similarly, the
governors committed to the verification of the input of all the consultants who
claim to having worked towards the harmonization of the refunds regarding what
is due to which state, since 2005 when the demand for the refunds commenced. At
the moment, there are litigations from more than ten different consultants
still agitating for settlement for their roles in the quest to have the refunds
made to states.
In this regard, a committee was set up under the headship of
Governor Femi Akeredolu of Ondo state with the governors of Bauchi, Mohammed
Abdullahi Abubakar, Sokoto’s Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Plateau’s Simon Lalong,
Bayelsa’s Seriaki Dickson, Rivers’ Nyesom Wike and former Accountant General of
the Federation and Gombe state governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo as members.
This
committee is expected to finally provide a solution to the demands by
consultants on the Paris-London Club refunds to states. The forum also resolved
to work harmoniously in a manner that would transcend all political
affiliations so that all governors would speak with one voice on issues of
national importance.
To achieve this a committee made up of the Governors of
Imo, Bayelsa, Abia, Ekiti, Kano, Nasarawa and Bauchi was constituted to work
for the “reconciliation of the forum and the betterment of the country.”
“There
is no how you’d mention any political development in Nigeria without mentioning
governors. Governors are a bloc and a key component of this democracy.
Therefore, we have set up a seven-man committee to look into the development
surrounding the unity of the forum and the development of the country. The idea
is for governors to be speaking with one voice,” Governor Yari concluded.
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