Paris Club refund: Workers at governors’ mercy

SAMINU IBRAHIM examines how Nigeria workers are at the mercy of their state governors over unpaid salaries despite bailout interventions through Paris Club Refund vis-a-vis the demand for additional 50 percent balance by governors
Unarguably, Nigerian workers have been at the mercy of their state governors, since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, due to backlog of arrears of salary. Although the administration in passing the buck has put the blame at the door step of the immediate past government under President Goodluck Jonathan, saying the problem started from that administration.

Allegation
The All Progressives Congress (APC)- led federal government had earlier alleged that the last administration borrowed to offset workers’ salaries, insisting that if Jonathan had won the 2015 election, the plight of the workers would have been worse.
Following his inauguration, President Buhari, resolved to address the challenges he reportedly inherited with the introduction of a new policy ‘bailout fund’ granted to state governors; who were having difficulty in offsetting salaries and emoluments.

Paris club refund
It would be recalled that the federal government had on May 4, released details of the second tranche of Paris Club Refund to states totaling N243. 795 billion, saying that the refund is in respect of over-deductions on Paris Club, London Club Loans and Multilateral debts between 1995 and 2002.
To date, the Federal Government had disbursed a total of N760.17 billion in two tranches to the 36 states governors, but the salient questions agitating discerning minds is the continuous cry over unpaid salaries across the land.
Unfortunately, states like Kogi, Ekiti and others have been locked in industrial crisis for non- payment of salaries despite federal government’s intervention.

Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara
At a meeting between the president and representatives of governors, led by chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, penultimate Tuesday, President Buhari was said have expressed worries over the plight of the Nigerian workers over unpaid salaries and allowances, in spite of government interventions.
Indeed, the president, according to a statement by his spokesman Femi Adesina, said the plight of workers in the states needed urgent attention as many could barely survive.
“How can anyone go to bed and sleep soundly when workers have not been paid their salaries for months. I actually wonder how the workers feed their families, pay their rents and even pay school fees for their children.
“God has been merciful in hearing the prayers of his servants so the rainy season has been good, you can ask the Kebbi State governor on this, and our enormous food importation bill has gone down,’’ Buhari stated.

Oliver Twist
But as Oliver Twist, the governors of the 36 states of the federation have demanded the release of the outstanding Paris Club refund by November to enable them include it in their 2018 budget appropriation.
The chairman of the Governors Forum, Abdulaziz Yari was quoted as saying that the various interventions by the Federal Government, including the bailouts, were judiciously utilized by the states.
He emphasized: “As a father, we said to him, Mr. President, you remember that in 2016, we presented to you the numbers of Paris Club exit funds, which we agreed, and you directed we be paid 50 per cent and the remaining 50 per cent open to reconciliation.
“Reconciliation has been on since 2016, we are hoping that both the Debt Management Office (DMO), Ministry of Finance, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and our consultants are concluding this reconciliation by November. Therefore, we want to crave your indulgence so that we can factor the numbers in our 2018 budget, so that we can use it for projects and other recurrent spending according to the specification given by our respective House of Assemblies and that’s why we are here”.
Consequent upon request to the President to release the remaining fifty percent of the Paris Club Refund to states, the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) has urged the federal government not to release further funds until certain conditions are met.
Specifically, APDA, enjoined the federal Government not to accede to any request for further release of funds until a comprehensive and extensive audit is carried out to determine the true state of affairs in the states; especially in the face of the claims and counter claims of the state governments and labour unions.
A statement, signed, by National Publicity Secretary of the party, Tosin Adeyanju acknowledged the efforts of the present administration in the payment of workers’ salaries through Paris club refund and bailout funds to states, however regretted that despite huge and timely release of these funds no state has been adjudged to have utilised the funds for its primary purpose.
“APDA is equally of the stance that all releases as regards the payment of workers salaries should be done through the IPPIS in states which is in use at the federal level and has recorded astounding success in the timely payment of salaries and identification of ghost workers”.
The party expressed its believe in the streamlining of all public sector workers salaries through the IPPIS, saying it would greatly reduce public funds wastage as cases of ghost workers has bedevilled the public sector for a long time.

Nigeria Labour Congress
Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), through a statement signed by its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Ezon urged the Federal Government to compel state governors to properly account for the bailout they received, 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.
But in the view of a former lawmaker, Barrister Sani Mohammed Takori, the federal government should constitute a committee to probe previous intervention to the state governors.
“Let the President constitute a committee of not only APC people but of honest people who have integrity from each state on how the Paris Club Refund was spent.
“I mean people of integrity, because the Auditor General of the state can be control by the governor. So if people of integrity are given this work, they can do it and report back to him. Even the State Security Service and other services can tell him state by state where there is problem.
“The President, constitutionally has no say on how the governors spend their money, but when monies are not properly appropriated, this money is a grant and meant for a purpose, even if it is for the purpose of record keeping, the President can still do that.
“The responsibility of doing this rest on the state Houses of Assembly but they cannot do anything. They cannot even approve independent financial autonomy for themselves, so how can they fight the governor. So the problem is enormous” Takori said.

 

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