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Tag: Paris Club

  • Dont release final Paris Club refund yet to governors-NLC

    Dont release final Paris Club refund yet to governors-NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to release the third and final tranche of the Paris Club refund to state governors until they make a concrete commitment to use the money to settle outstanding salaries, allowances and pension of workers and retirees in the country.

    The congress also demanded an immediate and comprehensive audit of all monies so far spent in government effort at reviving the power sector in the country since 1999 which it said has failed to yield result, but rather produced several billionaires as a result of diversion of the funds.

    In a communique made available to newsmen at the end of its Central Working Committee meeting, the Congress is asking the government to immediately inaugurate the National Minimum Wage negotiating committee in view of the impoverishment of the Nigerian worker.

    The communique signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Dr, Peter Oyo-Eson also wants the federal government to compel state governors to properly account for the bail out funds they received from the federal government as well as the two tranches of the Paris Club refund which was supposed to be used for the payment of salaries and pensions, but diverted to other uses.

    The Congress regretted that government has not lived up the expectation of Nigerians and are in the habit of reneging on signed agreements with unions, pointing out that the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities was avoidable.

    The congress said that “many of the discussions around restructuring have not paid adequate attention to the question of ealth distrinbution in thr Nigerian society. It resolved to set up a committee toharmonise the various views expressed at the meeting with a view to articulating a congress position on the issue for subsequent presentation to the organuised labour.

    “It reviewed the contoinous non payment of months of outstanding salaries of workers in some states of the federation as well as various arears of pension which has also run into several months which is the actual situation despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s passion to addressthis matter since he assumed office by giving bail out to governors to clear thius shameful state of affairs with the nation”s workforce. 

    “The Federal government has further released tranches of Paris Club refund to states government with specific appeals to the and commitment by the governors forum to use the refund for the settlement of arrears of salaries and pension owed by various states to their civil servants and retrirees.

    “Despite the President”s laudable intervention notwithstabding, states like Kogi, Benue and Bayelsa are still owing workers 5-10 months in salaries  arrear and pension. There are other states like Kaduna and Zamfara that have refused to disclosed any information about how it had utilized the bailout and Paris Club refund despite demand from unions and the general public.

    “Several efforts by unions and workers in the affected states to knoiw what these state governors are using these funds for have yielded lkittle or no results.”

    It directed ther congress leadership to write the President to ensure that the governors are made to transparently account for the bail out given by the fedral government as well as the two tranches of the Paris Clud refund. 

    ,It resolved to call on the President to direct the Minister of Finance not to release the third anfd final tranche of the Paris club refund til the governors give a concrete  commitment to use it to pay the backlog of salaries and pension through a transparent process.

    “It agreed to lead an engagement rally to states, name and shame states in defdault as well as applaud and support those that are up to date in payment.

    “It direct all workers, pensioner and their families to take advantage of the on going voter registreation exercise to obtain their permanent voters card.

    “The CWC also reviewed the continued poor service delivery nin the power sector and observed hat since rhe current administration came to power in May 2015, it had given N740 Billion to the power sectotr as intervention fund without much to ashow for it. CWC therefore cannot comprehend the rationale behind the administration’s preparedness to give a further N39 billion bailout to DISCos for metering purpose. 

    “There is no guarantee that the DISCOs will not go back cap in hand to government again on the issue of provision of meters as the minister of power recently disclosed that DISCOs need about N220 billion to provide meters to Nigerians.

    “Given that one of the conditions precedent for the privatisartion by the last administration was that the new owners would provide meters for customers within 24 monthsmor so, CWC felt that the defaulting DISCOs ought to fdace sanctions and not additional bailout.

    “CWC therefore call for an urgent and proper auditing of the money spent in the effort to revive the power sector since 1999 which rather than transform into increased light provision has produced tens, if not hundreds of billionaires as a result of the diversion of the funds. Nothing illustrates this better than a recent report which showed that in the almost 18 years of the current democratic dispensation, over 11 trillion has been expended from the public treasury to lift the power sector to no avail.

    “The meeting called on the federal government to inaugurate the minimum wage committee immediately as the committee ought to have been put in place several months ago. 

    “Against the background of the impoverishment of Nigerian workers generally, government and the tripartite partners need to fast track and conclude the work of the committee in time to address the deteriorated purchasing power of the Nigerian worker.

    “It resolved that the ongoing ASUU strike was preventable and regretted that again the federal government has precipitated the strike action as it failed to implement the 2009 agreement it reached with the union. 

    “It called on the government to urgently resolve the issues in dispute to avoid escalating the strike action as other unions in the educational sector who are also affected by the 2009 agreement in the sector are mobilizing to enter the fray. The meeting also called on the government to note that collective agreements are sacrosanct and must be respected by the parties to the agreement.

    The CWC reviewed the allegations and counter allegations of impropriety coming out of the National Health Insurance Scheme. The meeting recalled that the immediate cause of the crisis arose from the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives committee on health on the activities of the NHIS. 

    “The CWC is of the opinion that the Minister of Health who constituted the intra ministerial committee to probe the suspended Executive Secretary and has himself been accused of peddling influence and sundry abuses in the operations of the scheme be investigated. 

    “Natural justice demand the a neutral and transparent process should be put in place by the government to thoroughly investigate these allegations and counter allegations”.

  • Ebonyi pays 30% arrears to pensioners

    Ebonyi pays 30% arrears to pensioners

    The Ebonyi Government has confirmed the payment of 30 per cent of pension arrears to state pensioners who are demanding 100 per cent payment.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the pensioners were alleging that they had been paid only 20 per cent of the arrears.

    This was one of the contending issues in the recent protest in Abakaliki.

    Dr Dennis Ekumankama, the State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Ebonyi,  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the issue was not a speculation.

    According to him, the decision to raise the payment up to 30 per cent was reached at the last executive council meeting of the state presided over by the state governor.

    “Government will increase the percentage of payment as more funds accrue and we advise pensioners to receive the decision in good faith.

    “Clamouring for 100 per cent payment is wrong because it entails paying when the fund is received in bulk or offsetting the arrears on year-by year-basis.

    “The arrears date back to 2009 which was not accumulated by the present government and if we pay 2009 alone for example, what will we tell others who fall within 2010–2017.

    “The pensioners are hungry and have been expecting the money for long with the governor declaring that he will pay the pensioners all their due payments,” he said.

    The commissioner said that the state was not owing pensioners and those saying that they have not been paid are those who have not been verified.

    “We cannot pay the money to anybody who claims to be a pensioner because there are people who are not supposed to be paid that are receiving pensions.

    “We want to block all leakages involved in illegal payment of pensions and that is why for instance, we are not in a hurry to pay gratuities,” he said.

    He said that the state received over N12 billion as its share of the Paris Fund refund, noting that it ranked second to the last among the states that collected the refund.

    “We received eight billion naira in the first tranche and four billion naira in the second and the funds have been dedicated for the settlement of salaries, pensions and gratuities arrears,” he said.

    The commissioner said that the public needed to be educated on true definition of the Paris Club refund to clear the wrong insinuations associated with it.

    “People should be informed that the Paris Club refund is the refund of illegal deductions from the local and international loans obtained by states,” he said.

  • Paris club refund: My govt is for all, says Akeredolu

    Paris club refund: My govt is for all, says Akeredolu

    The Ondo State government yesterday explained the disbursement of its N6.38 billion Paris Club refund.

    A statement by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant, Special Duties & Strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale, said contrary to claims the administration got N7.03 billion, the state got N6.38 billion to pay September 2016 arrears and execute projects.

    Odebowale said no major administrative decision was taken on welfare without consulting the labour union.

    According to him, it was shocking that those who participated in meetings on the payment of arrears could misinform the public.

    He said: “It is on record that some states allocated 50 per cent of the refund to offset salaries and the remaining 50 per cent for projects. Ondo State has agreed to allocate 75 per cent to pay pensioners in full, offset part of gratuities owed retirees, release subventions to institutions and parastatals and to pay 80 per cent of the September salary.

    “The remaining 25 per cent is for capital projects. It is rather disturbing to note that those who claim to serve the public will insist that the government should reserve nothing for the  the people who constitute over 95 per cent of the populace.”

    The statement said: “The allegiance of this government is to them and not a select few. No worker should be afraid of persecution in this dispensation. No one will, however, enjoy unmerited privileges.

    “No amount of blackmail can stampede the administration to take decisions inimical to the interest of people not in the employ of the government.”

  • Paris Club loans refund: Osun to spend N5.1bn on salaries, pensions

    The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has directed that a total of N5,131,680,567.59 be spent to offset arrears of salaries, pensions and leave allowances for workers in the state and local government.

    Specifically, the payments are to offset the balances of payments of workers on Grade Levels 8-10 and Grade Levels 12 -17 who were being paid modulated salaries owing to the agreement reached between the Labour and government in 2015.

    It would be recalled that workers on Grade Levels 1-7 had been on their full salaries since the commencement of the agreement on salary and pension formula.

    The decision came on the heels of the receipt of a N6.3bn loans refunds from the Paris Club which the state got last week.

    A statement from the government signed by the Commissioner for Information Adelani Baderinwa, explained that the decision was reached after meetings and consultations between representatives of government and labour.

    “The Governor has approved a total sum of N5,131,680,567.49 for payment of arrears of salaries and pensions for both state and local government workers.

    “The Government of Osun, as earlier announced, had received a sum of N6.3bn as the second tranche of the Paris Club loans refunds. On Wednesday, July 26, 2017, after a meeting of representatives of the Labour and Government at the Revenue Allocation Committee chaired by Labour veteran, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, it was resolved that the amount be spent on payment of outstanding salaries and pensions arrears to workers and pensioners both at the state and local government levels who were affected by the modulated salary payment formula.”

  • Taraba will pay outstanding pensions, gratuities with Paris Club fund – Ishaku

    Taraba will pay outstanding pensions, gratuities with Paris Club fund – Ishaku

    Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba said on Monday in Jalingo that the Paris Club debt relief fund received by the state would be used to settle outstanding pensions and gratuities.

    Ishaku, in a speech shortly before signing the Anti-open Grazing Bill into law, said that the amount received would cover the outstanding pensions of local government workers and a substantial part of gratuities of both state and local government workers.

    He expressed concern that local government retirees had not been paid their pensions and gratuities since 2013, and promised to address the situation.

    The governor announced that he had requested the House of Assembly to approve the re-naming of the state airport after Mr Danbaba Suntai to immortalise the late governor that died last month.

    “Suntai did so much for Taraba and we owe him a duty to honour him,” Ishaku said.

    He said that the late governor would be given a state burial on Aug. 5.

  • Paris Club refunds: Anxiety in states as workers await payment

    Paris Club refunds: Anxiety in states as workers await payment

    Serving and retired public servants in many states were still awaiting payment of their salary arrears/gratuities yesterday, four days after the release of N243.7billion to them of the second tranche of the Paris Club refund.

    Some state governors are understood to be treading carefully to avoid a repeat of their confrontation with retirees and workers over the last disbursement.

    They are opening the account books for labour leaders and other representatives to have an input in the spending pattern of the money, having realized that the allocations will not be enough to clear the accumulated salaries, gratuities, pensions and other entitlements.

    Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State who got N4.7 billion as the state’s share has invited leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC),Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) to discuss the disbursement of the cash.

    Also expected at the meeting are the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

    Ahead of the talks, the governor’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the refund of N4.7 billion is N3 billion short of the total wage bill of state civil servants, local government workers and pensioners.

    But the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state disagreed. It branded the planned meeting as “a worn-out tactic to fraudulently deny workers their salaries and con Ekiti people for selfish motives.”

    “We are aware that after collecting the money, he has started calling another round of meetings brainwashing workers that N4.7b Paris Club refund will not be enough to pay one month salary barely a month after he confessed that the actual Ekiti monthly wage bill is N1.7b and several months after he consistently lied that the state’s wage bill was N2.6b,” APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun said.

     “Since the Paris Club and bailout issues became major sources of the state finances, Fayose is no longer talking about the state’s monthly statutory allocations of N1.9b and another monthly N1.3b Budget Support Facility he has taken for 11 months but which he diverted to purposes through which he can make personal gains.”

    However, Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, described the allegation by the APC as mischief taken too far. He said the APC was blinded by partisan politics and argued that Fayose was the first governor in the country to go public with the state’s share of the fund.

    Abia State Finance Commissioner, Obinna Oriaku, admitted that the N5.715 billion received by the state is not enough to clear all the salary arrears as promised by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.  Oriaku said Abia was expecting between N12 and N13 billion which the governor had ordered to be committed to the clearing of accumulated salaries.

    The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Uchenna Obigwe, said the N5.715 billion won’t “go far” and appealed to the federal government to “release more money to Abia State.

    “If Abia gets about N20-N25 billion, I think that everybody will be okay in Abia State. All pension and arrears of gratuities would have been a thing of the past. You know that over 15 years gratuities have not been paid in Abia. So, you can see that it is enormous,” he said.

    Obigwe said labour leaders in the state will meet the government to “determine how many months of salary that money can cover in paying the workers.”

     Civil servants in Ondo however, told The Nation that they were still waiting to be alerted by the banks about payment of their salaries. A government source said payment would commence next week.

    Ondo state got a refund of N7,003,648,314,28b. Of the sum, 32.68 per cent will be allocated to the local councils while the state government will retain 67.32 per cent as its own share.  Seventy-five per cent  of the state’s share will be spent on salaries and pensions and the balance of 25 per cent will be expended on capital projects.

    The Cross River State government is yet to release the modalities for paying the workers which was one of the highlights of the agreement  it reached with labour leaders  to end the recent strike in the state.

    The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, John Ushie, expects government to live up to its promise. He told The Nation that he expected government to use the money for workers’ salaries.

    Finance Commissioner, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr., did not specify  when workers will be paid. He simply said as soon as  possible. The non-utilization of the N11.3 billion first tranche of the refunds by the state government was partly responsible for the last workers’ strike.

    In Enugu, government has set up a committee to ensure ‘proper utilization’ of the state’s refund. The committee comprises representatives of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the NLC and other stakeholders.

    Chairman of the state council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Virginia Nwobodo, expressed optimism that workers would get a fair deal.

    “In Enugu we have no fears as far as Paris Club refund is concerned,” he  said.

    The Oyo State government yesterday confirmed receipt of a N7.9 billion refund. Finance  Commissioner, Abimbola Adekanmbi, disclosed that a minimum of 60 per cent of the sum would be used to clear salary and pension arrears. He said payment would commence “as soon as possible.”

    According to him, the state received the third tranche on Monday July 17.  On the application protocol, the commissioner explained that over 60 per cent of the first tranche of N7.2 billion was used for salaries and pensions, 100 per cent of the second tranche of N5 billion was used for the same purpose, a decision he said was above the 50 per cent minimum prescribed by the Federal Government.

    The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Oyo State had on Thursday appealed to Governor Abiola Ajimobi to use 100 per cent of the latest refund for salaries and pension arrears.

    The NLC chairman, Waheed Olojede, told The Nation yesterday that workers were expecting 100 per cent of the N7.9 billion refund to the state to be used for workers and pensioners’ unpaid arrears. Civil servants in the state are being owed for the months of April, May and June 2017.

    “We have written a letter to the government demanding clearance of all outstanding salaries and pensions. We want the governor to fulfill his reported promise during Ramadan to use 100 per cent of the refund for salaries and pensions,” he said.

  • How we’ll spend Paris Club refund, by states

    How we’ll spend Paris Club refund, by states

    All eyes are on the 36 state governors, following the release of the second tranche of the London-Paris Club loans refund to states by the Federal Government on Monday. ADESOJI ADENIYI, MIKE ODIEGWU, OSAGIE OTABOR and ADEKUNLE JIMOH report the plans of some of the state governments for the windfall.

    •Osun, Bayelsa, Kwara, Edo, others list priorities

    Some states yesterday unfolded their plans for their shares of the N243.7 billion London-Paris Club refund. The windfall was released to the states by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday.

    They listed outstanding salaries and pension arrears as priorities. Also on their cards are projects that would lift the living conditions of people in their domains.

    The Nation learnt that many of governors announced what accrued to them to guard against misinformation. Some met with labour leaders to jointly agree on the disbursement.

     

    We’ll put refund to proper use, says Edo’

    After acknowledging receipt of N6, 091,126,592.49 as its share of the Paris Club refund, the Edo State Government yesterday promised to put the windfall to good use.

    It was however silent on whether refund would be deployed in the payment of some pensioners who have sustained street protests in Benin, the capital city for the past five days.

    The pensioners, made up of retirees from both local and state governments, have been appearing in red attires to protest the non-payment of their gratuities and entitlements.

    Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Mr. Crusoe Osagie told our reporter that a statement would be issued on how the funds would be applied.

    Osagie assured that the governor will not go against the rules.

     

    Bayelsa to clear salarybacklogs  

    • Dickson releases N919m to councils

    The Bayelsa State Government yesterday confirmed receipt of N10 billion share of the second tranche of the Paris Club refund from the Federal =Government.

    Governor Seriake Dickson made the confirmation in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson.

    According to the government, N919 million of the refund would go to the local government areas. Part of it, the government said, would be used to pay one and a half month salaries of civil servants.

    The governor directed his Commissioner for Finance, Maxwell Ebibai to immediately release the local councils’ share.

    According to Iworiso-Markson, the governor, who spoke in Yenagoa at a parley with labour leaders at the Government House, directed helmsmen at the council areas to use their portion of the windfall on their financial obligations, especially the outstanding salaries.

    The governor warned that the money for the councils should be properly utilised and should not be shared by a few to enrich themselves at the expense of local government employees.

    Dickson was quoted as saying: “I have directed that the money should be transferred to them latest tomorrow (Thursday). As for this money, let me make it clear that is not for them to share and chop. It is not free money. So, those who will be celebrating that money has come to be shared will be disappointed.

    “One of the greatest problems we have in this state is the fact that people always think that any money that comes is free money for them to share and chop.

    “They don’t want the state to be developed; leaders after leaders and years after years. Twenty years after the creation of the state, it is now we are building good schools and health institutions.”

    He thanked the union leaders for their support and understanding, adding that the disclosure of the fund’s receipt was in line with his administration’s open policy on public finance since 2012.

    He said: “You people should know me by now. I have been here for almost six years and any money that comes we always announce it.

    “Month after month, we disclose our income and expenditure in the Transparency Briefing. And I think we are the only state doing that.”

    The statement also quoted Information & Orientation Commissioner Jonathan Obuebite as saying that the labour leaders had agreed with the government that part of the money should be used to clear backlog of salaries.

    He said: “I am happy to announce that after a peaceful, fruitful and candid meeting, it was resolved that the government will use part of the fund to pay one and a half month salary.

    “Initially we had thought that it was N14 billion that will come in so we can pay two months but that was what came in. Pentioners are also going to be paid.”

    The local chapter Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, John Ndiomu and his Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) counterpart, Tari Dounana, commended the government for disclosing the share of the state and for interacting with them to discuss on how to utilise the money.

    They assured all workers that every outstanding salaries owed by the government would be paid to them and urged them to continue to do their best. 

     

    Kwara councils get N1b for salary arrears

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the release of N1 billion to local government areas in the state to offset part of their salary arrears, Finance Commissioner Demola Banu announced in a statement in Ilorin yesterday.

    He said the N1 billion was part of the N5.1 billion received by the state government as its share of the Paris Club refund from the Federal government.

    According to the commissioner, the N5.1 billion received by the state government was 12.5 per cent lower than the amount it expected from the Federal Government.

    Banu said the balance of the refund would be used for projects and programmes designed to enhance the welfare and security of all citizens.

    He also announced the release of N312, 191, 101.71 to tertiary institutions in the state to clear salary arrears.

    The lucky institutions are: Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin; Kwara State College of Education, Oro; Kwara State College of Education (Special), Lafiagi; College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, Ilorin; Kwara State School of Midwifery, Ilorin and Oke-Ode as well as Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa.

    Giving a breakdown of the amount, the commissioner said the payment includes: N126, 938, 104 as the sixth instalment of the state government’s intervention for tertiary institutions in the state.

    The governor had approved the intervention in 2016 for the state-owned tertiary institutions as a palliative.

    Continuing, Banu said the balance of N185, 252, 996 represents the third quarterly payment of subvention to the institutions, stressing that the final instalment of N378, 426,018 will be paid as additional funds become available.

    He clarified that the N312.1 million would be used to pay salary arrears accrued at the tertiary institutions due to drop in allocations last year.

    The institutions, he noted have been up to date in the payment of monthly salaries.

  • New Paris Club refund: What each state recieved

    New Paris Club refund: What each state recieved

    The federal government has released a State by State breakdown of another tranche of Paris Club refund of over-deductions on Paris Club, London Club Loans and Multilateral debts on the accounts of States and Local Governments from 1995-2002.

    A statement from the federal ministry of finance said these payments which totalled N243, 795,465,195.20 “were made to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory upon the approval of the President on May 4, 2017.”

    Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Kano and Rivers states received the largest disbursements of N10 billion each.

    This second tranche of Paris Club refunds is a “partial settlement of long-standing claims by State Governments relating to over-deductions from their Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation for external debt service arising between 1995 and 2002.”

    The statement added that Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun explained that these debt service deductions were in respect of the Paris Club, London Club and Multilateral debts of the federal and State governments.

    Adeosun noted that “while Nigeria reached a final agreement for debt relief with the Paris Club in October 2005, some States had already been overcharged.”

    The funds were released to State Governments as part of the wider efforts to stimulate the economy and were specifically designed to support states in meeting salary and other obligations, thereby alleviating the challenges faced by workers.

    The releases the ministry said “were conditional upon a minimum of 75 per cent being applied to the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions for States that owe salaries and pension.”

    The Federal Ministry of Finance said it “is reviewing the impact of these releases on the level of arrears owed by State Governments.”

    A detailed report is being compiled for presentation to the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as part of the process for approval for the release of any subsequent tranches.
    The disbursements are contained in the table below:

     

    S/N STATE AMOUNT PAYABLE (NGN)
    1 ABIA 5,715,765,871.48
    2 ADAMAWA 6,114,300,352.68
    3 AKWA-IBOM 10,000,000,000.00
    4 ANAMBRA 6,121,656,702.34
    5 BAUCHI 6,877,776,561.25
    6 BAYELSA 10,000,000,000.00
    7 BENUE 6,854,671,749.25
    8 BORNO 7,340,934,865.32
    9 CROSS RIVER 6,075,343,946.93
    10 DELTA 10,000,000,000.00
    11 EBONYI 4,508,083,379.98
    12 EDO 6,091,126,592.49
    13 EKITI 4,772,836,647.08
    14 ENUGU 5,361,789,409.66
    15 GOMBE 4,472,877,698.19
    16 IMO 7,000,805,182.97
    17 JIGAWA 7,107,666,706.76
    18 KADUNA 7,721,729,227.55
    19 KANO 10,000,000,000.00
    20 KATSINA 8,202,130,909.85
    21 KEBBI 5,977,499,491.45
    22 KOGI 6,027,727,595.80
    23 KWARA 5,120,644,326.57
    24 LAGOS 8,371,938,133.11
    25 NASARAWA 4,551,049,171.12
    26 NIGER 7,210,793,154.95
    27 OGUN 5,739,374,694.46
    28 ONDO 7,003,648,314.28
    29 OSUN 6,314,106,340.62
    30 OYO 7,901,609,864.25
    31 PLATEAU 5,644,079,055.41
    32 RIVERS 10,000,000,000.00
    33 SOKOTO 6,441,128,546.76
    34 TARABA 5,612,014,491.52
    35 YOBE 5,413,103,116.59
    36 ZAMFARA 5,442,385,594.49
    37 FCT 684,867,500.04
    TOTAL 243,795,465,195.20

     

  • Paris Club refunds: Bayelsa and imperative of Transparency Briefing

    Paris Club refunds: Bayelsa and imperative of Transparency Briefing

    When the Federal Ministry of Finance introduced the publication of funds allocated to various tiers of government, it was designed to let the public know the resources available to government at all levels.

    The publication of funds allocated to states from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee was also meant to promote transparency and avoid rumour mongering as one cannot expect government to perform beyond its finances.

    Unfortunately, that policy was not adopted by many states, thereby creating crisis of confidence, especially when state governments claim that they cannot fulfil some obligations because of paucity of funds.

    However, the recent publication of money received by each state of the federation by the Federal Ministry of Finance under the Paris Club Refund had generated controversies.

    Though the controversy cut across all the states of the federation, in the oil rich Bayelsa, the government had to brief the people on the true situation.

    There were conflicting figures on what was published by the Federal Ministry of Finance and what the Bayelsa Government said it received.

    The figure published by the Federal Ministry of Finance showed that Bayelsa received N24.895 billion, while the Bayelsa Government said it received N21.168 billion.

    The Deputy Governor of the state, retired Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah, who addressed the issue during the Transparency Briefing in April, said the state received N14.5 billion in November last year out of the N21.168 billion due to the state for the first tranche of the Paris Club refund.

    The deputy governor, however, disclosed the receipt of additional N6.61 billion in the month of March, as the balance of the N21.168 billion, out of which N1.9 billion was released to the local government councils.

    His words: “The Paris Club refund to states is not a gift from the Federal Government to pay salaries; it is state governments’ money that was deducted without consulting the states. At a meeting, it was decided that the money should be paid in two installments.

    “A chart was drawn up and the entitlements of every state were written. But, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria decided to pay the money in four installments that is 25 per cent at a time.

    “When the first 25 per cent was paid, Bayelsa ought to get N21.168 billion, but then, when the money came, they only released N14.5 billion to us.

    “ The first tranche was supposed to have been N21.168 billion. But again, the N14.5 billion was not for the state government alone because out of the amount, N1.3 billion was for the local government councils. So, what actually came to the state government was N13.2 billion.’’

    The deputy governor also said that the state recorded N1.13 billion as its internally generated revenue in March 2017 as against N983 million declared in February, attributing the increase to deliberate efforts to beef up the revenue base of the state.

    He said the government would sustain the current drive, particularly in the area of wooing investors to boost the revenue.

    As a result of public outcry after the release of states’ shares from the Paris Club refund, governors have pledged to judiciously spend the second tranche recently approved by Acting- President Yemi Osinbajo.

    A statement by the Nigerian Governors Forum said all the 36 governors made the pledge at a recent meeting held at the Abuja residence of Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara.

    Mr Bello Barkindo, the governor’s spokesman in a statement, said the governors met in anticipation of the release of the money approved by vice-president.

    “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, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the funds are expected to hit the states accounts within the month.

    “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,” Barkindo quoted Yari as saying after the meeting.

    Also, ahead of the release of the second tranche, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC ) had enlisted the support of anti-graft agencies to ensure judicious use of the funds.

    The TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama, said that the union had involved the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe states which defaulted in using the disbursements to pay workers.

    “We have asked the ICPC and the EFCC to probe those states; we already called for their probe. The call we made to the EFCC and ICPC is not only for the first tranche, but subsequent tranches; the agencies and the TUC have been interacting well on the probe.

    “We are working with the Federal Government which directed that the fund be used first for the payment of arrears and pensions before the states do anything else. So if the states do anything else, it would be contrary to the directive.

    “We have been liaising with the anti-corruption agencies to make sure that they follow these disbursements. We also asked our TUC state levels to monitor the disbursements,’’ Kaigama said.

    Similarly, the NLC Secretary Peter Ozo-Eson said, “We have involved the anti-corruption agencies.

    “From the first bailout, we partnered the ICPC to monitor the funds and we expect this to continue.

    “Our directive to the NLC state councils is to also monitor the funds and ensure that the payment of arrears of salaries and pensions take priority.’’

    In the light of this, analysts commend the Bayelsa Government, observing that it is not surprising that the state government took time to address the controversies associated with the Paris Club refund.

    They also note that regular briefings on state finances are already part of government’s policy.

    They observe further that Governor Seriake Dickson, during his first tenure in office in February 2012, adopted the monthly publication of state finances by introducing the Transparency Briefing.

    An executive bill, The Bayelsa Transparency Initiative Bill, was then passed by the Bayelsa House of Assembly to provide legal backing to the policy.

    The Transparency Law makes it mandatory for the governor or his representative to make public on a monthly basis, the financial standing of the state.

    Dickson insists that he introduced the briefing because the people have the right to know about the affairs of government.

    “On transparency, we believe that it is the right of the people of the state to know what funds accrue to the coffers of the state and the various local government councils and how they are utilised.

    “This is the only way to secure the trust and confidence of the people in whom sovereignty lies.

    “I have directed all local government chairmen to comply with this paradigm shift on the issue of transparency, probity and accountability to reflect the new Bayelsa we are building.

    “The government also widened the scope of access to public perusal of government’s income and expenditure by introducing a website, Bayelsa Watch,’’ he said.

    While inaugurating Bayelsa Watch, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, said: “It is specially dedicated for the publishing of government’s income and expenditure profile, including the Federation Account Allocation Committee receipts and other monthly deductions.

    “When this administration came on board, precisely Feb. 14, 2012, it introduced the monthly Transparency Briefing, which was the first of its kind in the country.

    “The sole aim was to intimate people and the world at large with government’s earnings and spending, including award of contracts.

    “As a responsible and responsive government, we have decided to take a step further with the launching of our website, so that people can take advantage of it and scrutinise our financial records in line with our transparency and accountability policy.

    “The introduction of the website is aimed at letting the people know that there is absolutely nothing to hide.

    “And this effort of ours will definitely shut down the rumour mill factory trailing government finances for some time now.’’

    He noted that the Transparency Briefing was meant to showcase the state government’s transparency and accountability policy.

    Stakeholders, nonetheless, note that although the Bayelsa Government has publicly made it known what it received from the Paris Club refund, the onus is on the authority that published the figures to dispute the claim.

    They also advise other state governments to emulate Bayelsa and brief their people monthly on their finances for transparency and accountability.

    • Ukoh is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

  • Paris Club loan refund

    •That this is what governors need to pay salaries is troubling. We need restructuring

    THE decision of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to employ the next tranche of payment from the London-Paris Club loan refunds to offset the backlog of salaries and pensions stretching back a year in many cases has not come a moment too soon.

    The first tranche was expected to be utilised for that very purpose. But constancy, especially in discharging their obligations to public employees and the public at large has, rarely been an attribute of the governing authorities.  Some powerful figures in the Senate reportedly finagled $3 million from the fund, and a mystery “consultant” surfaced to claim a good slice for services that few could explain and fewer still could justify.

    To the best of our knowledge, no governor has gone unpaid at the end of each month, despite the trainload of compensations accruing to them for all manner of expenditures. The same is true of members of the Federal Executive Council. And yet, without remorse and without empathy, they watch public servants and teachers go unpaid month after month; they see retirees who had given the best years of their lives to public service languish in acute want.

    There was a time when delays in payment of salaries were few and far between. Now, they have become the rule rather than the exception. Even when payments were regular, they hardly kept pace with the cost of living. Now that payment is rarely guaranteed, living has become more precarious. The toll on health and nutrition and expectations is incalculable.

    How the average Nigerian trapped in these circumstances finds it within himself or herself to carry on with equanimity and even occasional cheer remains one of the best-kept secrets of the national experience. It is certainly worthy of sociological inquiry.

    The governors forum must honour its pledge and ensure that the refund is used for no other purpose than offsetting the backlog of unpaid salaries and pensions.

    But even after the payment has been effected, the problem will still remain. Another round of reimbursements is not guaranteed. Given global trends, no dramatic improvement in Nigeria’s economic fortunes can be expected anytime soon. Unpaid salaries and pensions will pile up again, and they will have to be addressed.

    There is no short-term answer.

    The long-term solution will have to be sought in restructuring the Nigerian state to institute, at the very least, fiscal federalism. The present 36-state structure, in which no more than four states are financially viable, is unwieldy and unsustainable. It is a subversion of the federal principle for the component states to subsist on handouts from the Centre, which appropriates unto itself a disproportionate share of national resources.

    A uniform pay scale across the public service is just as subversive of the federal principle. Unity should not translate into uniformity. Each state should pay its employees and political officials what it can reasonably afford. It follows that each state will keep the bulk of the revenues it generates.

    Restructuring will unlock the creative energies of the states. It will make accountability more local and hence more inescapable, since salary delays and discontinuities in service delivery cannot be blamed on a distant, uncaring Centre. It will raise the threshold for creating new states and ensure that only those that pass the test of viability are entrenched.

    Restructuring is not the frivolous demand of a self-seeking political elite. It is the key to Nigeria’s survival. Those erecting barriers against it are unwittingly undermining that survival.