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Tag: refund

  • If a man collects your money without refund, you are a lesbian – Doyin

    If a man collects your money without refund, you are a lesbian – Doyin

    Former Big Brother Naija housemate Doyin David has advised ladies against being an ‘understanding’ girlfriend in a relationship, urging them to stay away from dating broke men.

    Doyin took to snapchat to advise girls against dating a man who was struggling.

    She expressed that a fan had shared how some of the teachings that she had learned from her was what she was impacting in her relationship.

    Read Also: Why I cannot date a celebrity – Doyin

    She had also praised her for listening and heeding her advice, adding that a man that was comfortable collecting money every time without giving back to you is a sissy and that whoever is in such a relationship is in a lesbian relationship.

    The reality star wrote: “100 years of enjoyment for you. All my teachings are not falling on deaf ears

    “A man that is comfortable collecting your money every time without giving back to you, especially when he has the means…..is a sissy. You are in a lesbian relationship dear. When he walks by, please spank his ass and buy him lipgloss.

    Nobody suffer reach understanding babe for this life. He who has ears. let them hear”.

  • States ‘shared N1.9tr Paris Club refund’

    States have shared N1.9trillion Paris Club Refund and Budget Support Facilities to enable them meet their obligations to workers, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday.

    According to him, at the inception of the Buhari administration in 2015, 26 of the 36 states were not up to date in their wage obligation to workers.

    “ The Budget Support Facility to states has gone a long way in cushioning the shock experienced by the federating units which resulted from the sharp drop in prices of crude oil in 2016.

    “So our support to states has remained unprecedented in the history of administration in Nigeria,” he said.

    Osinbajo spoke in Abeokuta at the fourth edition of the Ogun Investors’ Forum, which ends today.

    The theme of the programme, which is  ”Consolidating Gains and Accelerating Growth.’’

    Osinbajo said that the Muhammadu Buhari -led administration had continued to extend equal and unbiased support to states, regardless of   party affiliations.

    “ We have been sensitive, attentive and responsive to their needs while our programmes and policies have been developed with the states in mind.

    “ The Anchor Borrowers Programme has continued to provide cheap credit to small holders farmers across the nation.

    “The President’s Fertiliser Initiative has ensured that farmers across Nigeria have direct access to fertiliser.

    “We have continued to feed about seven million primary school pupils in 21 states of the country,” Osinbajo said.

    He explained  that the administration had been able to reverse the trend of   corruption that existed in the country when it assumed power in 2015.

    He added that the government also reversed the underfunding of infrastructure with N1.3 trillion allocated to capital projects  in 2017 –   the  highest in the country’s  history.

    “ We have continued to block leakages and increased  funding of core sectors, like agriculture and transportation by  as much as 400 per cent.

    “External reserves are in highest level in five years while inflation rate has dropped for 13 consecutive months.

    “We have done all these and more in spite of the fact that we now earn 60 per cent less than Nigeria earned in 2014 and thereby show that we can achieve more with less revenue, with prudence and sincerity of purpose,” he said.

    The Vice President suggested a sub-regional economic summit among Ogun, Lagos and Benin Republic towards leveraging on the economy of proximity of both Lagos and Benin Republic to the state.

    He added:  ”We have launched and implemented a comprehensive economic recovery and growth plan. We pursued peace in the Niger Delta, we focused on improving our business environment, we scaled up our investment in agriculture and infrastructure and aggressively worked at expanding Nigeria revenue base.

    ”Perhaps most importantly, we have reversed the grand corruption in public finance and impunity which attended the conduct of public business especially in the past five years.

    ”The main reason for Nigeria’s growth is not just a matter of our relying heavily on a single commodity; it is the fact that proceeds of that single commodity were regularly hijacked consistently by a few.

    ”In the so-called strategic contract with NPDC, the promoters of those companies made away with about $3billion, almost a tenth of our reserves at a point.

    ”At the moment, we are in the course of getting the $3 billion to build roads; the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road, the second Niger bridge, the Enugu-Port Hacourt road, the East West road, the Sagamu-Benin-Ore road, the Kano Maiduguri road, the Abuja-Lafia road, the Akwanga-Keffi road plus the Lagos-Abeokuta road.

    ”It is important for us to understand that our country’s problems must be analyzed on the perspective of what our real issues are. We can’t talk about the Nigeria economy without the plight that was caused years ago by people simply stealing the resources of this country.

    ”In one single transaction, the sum of N100 billion and $289 million in cash were released three weeks to the 2015 elections. That money was essentially embezzled.

    ”When you consider that in 2014 when the price of oil was at an average of $110 a barrel, only N99 billion was spent on power, works and housing; agriculture and transportation got 14 and 15 billion Naira respectively.

    ”So,  the total spent on capital in 2014 on those areas have mentioned was just N153 and over N150 billion was released and shared in three days, this is the enormity of what we are talking about.

    “There’s no country in the world that can survive on grand corruption and that is what we are talking about and that is why it is important for the Federal Government under President Muhammad Buhari to reverse that grand corruption,” he said.

    Ministers of Finance Kemi Adeosun and Agricultural and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh said Nigeria had the capacity to grow its GDP at 7 per cent by being focused.

    Ogbeh, who rued the 9% interest rate being charged farmers by the Central Bank of Nigeria as being prohibitive, said 5-7% would be more reasonable.

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said his administration was poised to bequeathing a lasting legacy and provide a model of development that is impactful and sustainable for the state.

    Amosun highlighted his achievements in agriculture, infrastructure, security and investment.

    Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon expressed confidence that with rule of law and accountability, Nigeria would navigate out of her economic doldrums.

    Calderon, who delivered the keynote address at the Forum, said  knowledge from research had shown that the economy of nations without rule of law and accountability would only remain stagnant at 0% or be crawling only at 1%.

    The ex- president explained that the economy of a country could grow for as much as 34% with rule of law and accountability, regardless of its geographical location, culture, leadership ability or even the natural resources.

    He cited  Singapore as a nation with no  much national resources but remained one of the best economies in the world because of rule of law and accountability.

    ”It is important to have a country that is rules by law and not by man,” Calderon said.

     

  • Pilgrims get N26m refund

    Pilgrims get N26m refund

    The Jigawa State Pilgrims and Welfare Board has refunded over N26.2 million to the 2017 pilgrims for some services not rendered during the exercise.

    The board’s Executive Secretary, Muhammad Sani Alhassan, who addressed reporters, said the money was refunded by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)

    Alhassan explained that the money will be refunded to two different categories of people – those who were disqualified due to medical or pregnancy reasons and those who participated but did not get some services.

    According to him, NAHCON has released N26 million to the board.

    The money would be disbursed in 13 zonal offices – Birnin Kudu, Jahun, Dutse, Kazaure, Gumel, Gwaram, Hadejia, Maigatari, Kafin Hausa, KiriKasamma, Ringim and Roni, he added.

  • NLC to governors: use Paris Club refund to pay salaries

    NLC to governors: use Paris Club refund to pay salaries

    The Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) has asked state governors to prioritise their activities and ensure that they use Paris Club refund to pay workers’ salaries and pension.

    President of Congress, Comrade Abubakar Wabba told The Nation that governors, who have refused to pay salaries and pension were not doing so because of the lack of money, but because they have not considered the payment of salaries as a priority.

    He urged workers to ensure that such governors are voted out during the next election.

    Wabba said: “Most of the governors have abuse the trust of the President Muhammadu Buhari, especially those that are not paying. They will go begging that once the money is released, they will use it to pay salaries. This is about the third episode.

    “The Chairman of the Governors Forum once made a promise publicly that they were going to use the money to pay salaries. Even in his own state, he did not use the money to address Labour issues. So, we are tired of this whole deceit of going to beg the President because they know he is passionate about workers and pensioners.

    “They will get money and come back to do something different. In states where they are not paying salaries and pension, you have seen what is happening with the rate of crime on the increase and people dying from starvation and frustration, while kidnapping is on the increase.”

    Wabba said the governors should know that it is in their own interest to pay workers and pensioners their entitlements.

    He noted that social consequence of not paying is glaring in those states because of the rise in criminal activities there.

    The NLC President said: “Our position usually is that they should prioritise the payment of workers and pensioners entitlement because there is no way you can have peace and development if workers entitlements are not being paid. It is arising from that that the President has continually told them to go and settle these liabilities.

    “We hope that with the little commitment they have made, it will work out this time around. If they pay, fine, but if they don’t pay, they should also know that they will not receive the support of the workers and pensioners. Right now, there are about nine states that are in this situation and we use this medium to thank those governors that are paying as and when due.

    “If they don’t pay, we have said it over and over again that workers should vote them out. They should know that if they don’t pay, the workers will not support them and if they pay, the workers will be happy and support them. That is the position we have taken long before now and that position has not changed.

    “For governors that have done well, we have asked workers to go and support them. It is actually in their own interest to settle all categories of workers so that workers can support them and also be very productive.”

  • Paris Club refund: Three more governors indicted

    Paris Club refund: Three more governors indicted

    EFCC uncovers another slush account

    Release of third tranche threatened

    Three more governors are believed to have diverted the London-Paris Club refund,  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sources said yesterday.

    Besides, another slush account has been uncovered.

    The governors and their cronies are under investigation.

    Some of those implicated in the mismanagement and diversion of the refund will soon face trial, The Nation learnt.

    Governors have been pushing for the release of the third tranche of the refund. President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be weighing the request.

    Security reports allegedly indicted some governors of gross abuse of the cash.

    According to a source, who gave an update on the investigation of the refund, all suspects will be brought to book.

    The source said: “As part of the ongoing probe, we have traced diversion of funds to three more governors and their cronies. This is apart from two governors who have  been fingered in such deals.

    “Detectives have also uncovered another account opened by the Nigeria Governors Forum(NGF) where suspicious transactions related to the London-Paris Club refund have been found.

    ‘We have rated this new discovery as a slush account. This is aside the two accounts on which we placed Post No Debit(PNB).”

    According to the source, “more consultants have confessed  that they were paid for jobs not done.

    “So, we have cases of diversion of public funds into private accounts under the guise of consultancy fees. This explains why salaries have not been paid in some states”, the source added.

    He went on: “We will release the details to the public very soon. All the suspects will certainly face trial. Those who have immunity will face the consequences, no matter how long it takes.

    “Already, one of the governors has forfeited N500million and another crony of the second governor has refunded $500,000 out of $3million linked to his account.

    “We have also applied for the forfeiture of over N1.823billion by some consultants hired by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).”

    Following protests by states against over deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002, President Buhari had approved the release of N522.74 billion (first tranche) to states as refunds pending reconciliation of records.

    Each state was entitled to a cap of N14.5 billion being 25% of the amounts claimed.

    The second tranche of N243, 795,465,195.20 was also disbursed to states in July.

    Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said the payment of the claims would enable states to offset outstanding salaries and pension which had been “causing considerable hardship”.

    The governors had sought for the refund to states and local governments at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on May 24, 2016.

    The Finance ministry said it was reviewing the impact of these releases on the level of arrears owed by the various states.

    “The releases 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,” Salisu Dambatta, a Finance ministry spokesperson said in the statement.

    The Senate plans to probe how the refund and bailout funds to states by Buhari were approved.

    The Senate’s decision followed a point of order raised by Sen. Samuel Anyanwu (PDP- Imo).

    Buhari is said to be weighing on whether or not to release the third tranche of the refund to states.

    A Presidency source said: “Although the governors agreed at the National Economic Council meeting to demand for the third tranche, the President has the final say.

    “From the security reports available to the President, some of the governors allegedly misused the refunds. A few of them devoted 20% -30% to payment of salaries. And some diverted the cash.”

    Advocates of true federalism have argued that the Presidency has no right to held on to the cash because it belong to the states.

    “The most feasible option is to impose stiffer conditions  on how to access and use the refunds. There might be stiffer monitoring of the utilisation of the London-Paris Club cash,” a source said.

    Read Also: EFCC raises panel to grill ex-SGF Lawal, seven others

  • AGF to court: Fed Govt has no record of how states spent N388b Paris Club refund

    AGF to court: Fed Govt has no record of how states spent N388b Paris Club refund

    Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) Ahmed Idris has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that the Federal Government has no record of spending of N388.304 billion London Paris Club Loan refund by 35 states.

    Idris stated this before Justice Muslim Hassan on Friday while responding to the suit filed by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the Federal Government.

    Justice Hassan had in June ruled that SERAP could proceed with the legal challenge to unravel how the 35 states spent the Paris Club loan refund. The court had also granted leave to the organisation that it was important for the authorities “to come and tell us how they spent our money”.

    SERAP is seeking “an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the government to publish details of spending of N388.304 billion London Paris Club Loan refunds allegedly diverted and mismanaged by 35 states”.

    Although the money was to be used by the states to pay overdue pensioners’ entitlements and workers’ salaries, Idris, in his defence, told the court that the spending “is protected by professional privilege, and therefore confidential”.

    The AGF said: “The relationship between the Accountant-General and the 35 states is professional and confidential. It is a fiduciary one akin to that between a bank and its customer and allied professionals. On that score, record of the spending of N388.304 billion London Paris Club Loan refund by the 35 states is exempted from publication, assuming the Federal Government has the information sought by SERAP.

    “The Accountant General does not have custody or possession of the information or record relating to the spending of N388.304 billion London Paris Club Loan refund by 35 states, which the government gave them. The Accountant General did not release the funds to the states.”

    He, therefore, urged the court to decline the request of the organisation for an order of mandamus.

    But SERAP argued that due to non-payment of overdue pensions and salaries of workers by the states, citizens have continued to languish in untold hardship and poverty.

    The organisation contended that there was a compelling public interest in knowing how exactly the Paris Club loan refund were spent by the 35 states.

    It noted that there was also no professional relationship or privilege between the Accountant General and the 35 states as to warrant any duty of confidentiality on the part of the Accountant General.

    According to SERAP, “There must be transparency and accountability in the spending of the refunds, in line with the principle of Open Government Partnership (OGP) to which Nigeria is a signatory. In addition, section 15(5) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provides that the state shall abolish corrupt practices and abuse of power. Citizens must be able to access the performance of government, and this depends on access to record about spending of the refund by the 35 states.

    “Assuming without conceding that the Accountant General does not have record of spending of N388.304 billion London Paris Club Loan refund by the 35 states, nothing stops the Accountant General from working with other agencies/ministries to release information on the spending, especially being the Chief Accounting Officer of the Federation, and constitutionally charged with the overall responsibility of keeping and managing all the receipts and payments of the Federal Government.

    “The Accountant General cannot, therefore, say he is unaware of the spending of the refunds by the states. Otherwise, this would mean that the Accountant General is lacking in his duty as Chief Accounting Officer of the Federation.”

    The Federal Government released N388.304 billion of the N522.74 billion to 35 states as refund of over-deductions on London-Paris Club loans.

  • Return, refund, repair policy underway

    This week, I watched a mild, unusual drama at the Balogun Market, Lagos. A young woman who trades in ladies clothing had come to return one of the over twenty dresses she bought from her customer of over two years but the wholesaler vehemently refused to take the dress back from her.

    Listening and watching the scene from a nearby shop directly opposite, I could not help but draw nearer to get the full details of what was going on.

    Moyo Adebayo, a regular customer of Demilade Adedeji, who by now was very agitated and angry, said that she bought 20 dresses from the wholesaler with the intention of reselling them. “On getting home, however, I realised that the zip on one of them was bad, so two days later I came with the dress hoping to exchange or get a refund but Mr. Adedeji was not available to attend to me.”

    Recounting her ordeal, Adebayo said she then left a message with Adedeji’s neighbour. “Exactly one week later, I came back again with the damaged dress but was informed by Adedeji’s sales boy that his boss had gone to Aba. When I made to leave the dress with the boy, he refused to take it back from me.

    “Coming back today, Mr. Adedeji is saying that he will not take the dress back as it had been in my custody for over one week. Is it my fault that he has not been around? Maybe he has even been around all along. Maybe he was even dodging me,” added Mrs. Adebayo furiously.

    On hearing that, the wholesaler jumped to his feet, with a pointed finger towards Adebayo, he told her that she was lying. Turning to the small crowd of onlookers, she said, “the day this woman bought the clothing, she scrutinised all of them in my presence and none was faulty. How come she noticed the faulty zip when she got home? If you check further, you may even find out that she has already worn that particular dress.”

    Turning to the woman, he asked her to leave his shop as he would not oblige her what she wanted. Of course, the visibly angry woman said she was not going without getting a refund of her money or at least an exchange.

    This incident readily brought to mind another incident I witnessed at Tejuosho Market, Yaba, Lagos. This was the case of Mama Ugochi [not real names]. She walked to the front of a shop where they sell bed linens on Ojuelegba Road, directly opposite Tejuosho Market stalls and started raining abuses on the shop owner and his sales boys.

    The woman was so angry that it was difficult to deduce what she was saying. However, after some passersby calmed her down, she explained that she had asked the sellers for bed spread for a 6×7 bed, specifying the colour and texture of material she preferred.

    Continuing, she related, “As the sales boy handed me the already made and packaged bed spread, noting it was the colour I requested for, I paid believing that every other thing about the bed spread would equally be okay. In my hurry to evade the traffic, as it was already close of work, I made the mistake of not opening the packed bed spread before leaving the shop.

    “When I reached home, I opened the package and found that I had been deceived. The bed spread was not wide enough for a 6×7 bed. It could only fit a 4×6 bed. Not only that, the bed linen was joined in several places. What kind of wickedness is this?” queried the duped woman.

    From the reactions of the sales boys and even the shop owner, it was obvious that what the woman was alleging was their stock in trade.

    Entreaties from other customers that they should appease the woman by giving her the exact bed spread she paid for or give her back her money, fell on deaf ears. Their defence was that as the woman has cursed them, they would not give her the money back or even exchange the bed spread for her.

    This does not happen only in the open market. It happens in mega shops and online shops in Nigeria. I have witnessed such incident in the big retail super market, ‘Justright’ shop.  The super market chain Shoprite at a point had ‘non refundable’ printed on their carrier bag. Most Online shops in Nigeria will go to terrible length in order to frustrate when it comes to the issue of refunds.

    Definitely, we all appreciate that there are products one cannot return or even exchange. Intimate products, perishable food items, some electrical goods, etcetera, cannot be returned or exchanged because of their nature, but if a buyer has reasonable excuses and the sold good is still in the same condition and the buyer brought it back in good time, there is no reason why the trader should not exchange it for the customer. Money may not be given back as it may not be readily available.

    On what can be done in order to avoid the ugly experiences above, Mr. Abiodun Muyiwa of the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria [CPC] promised that consumers will be better off when the Return, refund and repair policy (3Rs) eventually takes off.

    Speaking in a telephone interview, the CPC spokesman said that the agency was working on a guarantee policy which also has the 3Rs in it. “This is a government policy that will regulate how returns, refunds and repairs between sellers and buyers will be handled.”

    On how far the agency has gone with the policy and when it will be ready, he called for patience, stressing that such government policies pass through many stages, though he appealed for more time to give a definite response.

  • 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.”

  • 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.

  • Ekiti workers oppose plan to spend Paris Club refund on projects

    Civil servants in Ekiti State have kicked against an alleged plan by the state government to use part of the Paris Club refund on capital projects.

    A statement yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, by Enlightened Workers’ Forum’s (EWF’s) Coordinator Mike Bamidele, said the workers also urged the Federal Government to work out modalities for direct payment to them to prevent any plan to divert part of the state’s N9.6 billion share.

    The workers said the call was necessary because of their experience, when similar bailout cash from the Federal Government was not fully utilised for the payment of salary arrears and retirees’ benefits.

    The statement added: “Our concern is that Ekiti workers are suffering and pensioners are dying in large numbers. For the first time in Ekiti State, a senior civil servant committed suicide due to frustration. Yet, Governor Ayodele Fayose did not see any reason to adjust…”