L
LequteMan
Guest
According to a report from The Nation, some friction is starting to appear between state governments and the presidency over the usage of the N533bn bailout funds distributed for workers welfare.
The presidency had reportedly asked the 33 states who received the bailout funds to use 50 per cent of it for “challenges associated with salaries and pensions.” However, the governors only devoted 10 to 25 per cent of the bailout to payment of backlog of salaries.
A reliable source in government reportedly said: “The presidency has received reports that some state governors were not forthcoming on the actual refunds paid to them. In fact, the row over the figures has caused tension.
“Some state governors have openly come out to declare that only a fraction of the bailout funds will be used for salaries and pensions. There is a state which purportedly received about N5billion, but it only earmarked N1.5billion, leaving outstanding wages unaddressed.
“The President will be personally upset if these bailout funds are diverted or converted to other use by the governors. The presidency is already monitoring development in all the states.
“If the bailout funds are not judiciously used, the presidency may not be disposed to such interventions in future.”
The exact figures each state got was kept under wraps. Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun and the governors agreed to make it secret to prevent tension in the states, someone familiar with the matter said.
The EFCC and ICPC however, have been mandated to keep tabs on the utilization of these funds.
“The anti-graft agencies already have the fact-sheet on the allocations to each state and they are keeping tabs on all these governors. In the last exercise in April, ICPC had discovered that about 16 states were yet to disburse about N57, 663, 185, 735 allocated to them out of N713.7billion intervention funds to states.
The presidency had reportedly asked the 33 states who received the bailout funds to use 50 per cent of it for “challenges associated with salaries and pensions.” However, the governors only devoted 10 to 25 per cent of the bailout to payment of backlog of salaries.
A reliable source in government reportedly said: “The presidency has received reports that some state governors were not forthcoming on the actual refunds paid to them. In fact, the row over the figures has caused tension.
“Some state governors have openly come out to declare that only a fraction of the bailout funds will be used for salaries and pensions. There is a state which purportedly received about N5billion, but it only earmarked N1.5billion, leaving outstanding wages unaddressed.
“The President will be personally upset if these bailout funds are diverted or converted to other use by the governors. The presidency is already monitoring development in all the states.
“If the bailout funds are not judiciously used, the presidency may not be disposed to such interventions in future.”
The exact figures each state got was kept under wraps. Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun and the governors agreed to make it secret to prevent tension in the states, someone familiar with the matter said.
The EFCC and ICPC however, have been mandated to keep tabs on the utilization of these funds.
“The anti-graft agencies already have the fact-sheet on the allocations to each state and they are keeping tabs on all these governors. In the last exercise in April, ICPC had discovered that about 16 states were yet to disburse about N57, 663, 185, 735 allocated to them out of N713.7billion intervention funds to states.
