The President was said to have urged the
governors to utilise the money to clear salary arrears they owed their
workers before Christmas.
The governors had earlier received 50
per cent of the refund, leaving a balance of 50 per cent which Buhari
directed its payment on Monday.
The President was said to have given the directive at a meeting he had with state governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to information posted on one
of the Presidency’s Twitter handles – @NGRPresident – the meeting
featured discussions on the nation’s economy, workers’ welfare, as well
as federal-state relations, among others.
“President @MBuhari has directed the
Ministers of @FinMinNigeria and Budget & National Planning and
Governor @cenbank to commence negotiations with the Governors’ Forum to
enable payment of outstanding Paris & London Club refunds before the
end of the year,” the information read.
The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha,
and the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, confirmed the
development to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.
Okorocha said the President, at the
meeting, expressed the need to ensure that every Nigerian, especially
workers, had a beautiful Christmas.
He stated, “We are looking at getting the balance of Paris Club refund.
“We also made a request for Mr.
President’s approval that the balance should form part of our 2018
budgets because we can’t do anything until we are sure that the money is
coming.
“The issue of workers took the centre
stage and Mr. President expressed concern about those who depend on
their salaries to feed their families and pay their house rents and he
had the assurance from the governors that we will meet up our
obligations.
“Also, it was emphasised that states and
Federal Government must work together to get Nigeria out of its present
economic predicament.”
When asked specifically if all state
governors owing salaries would clear the arrears before Christmas,
Okorocha said, “Yes; with the Paris Club refund coming, every worker
should enjoy their Christmas.”
He added that the governors also seized
the opportunity of the meeting to review their relationship with the
President, adding that they found out that they were in harmony.
“There is no difference between us and
the President. Everybody seems to be happy working together. But
particularly, we commended the President for getting Nigeria out of
recession within such a short time,” he added.
El-Rufai also confirmed that Buhari
approved the payment of the balance of 50 per cent refund before
Christmas to cater for workers.
He, however, said he did not know the
amount of the refund, stressing that only the Ministry of Finance could
provide the figure.
“There is another 50 per cent that needs
to be paid when the figures are reconciled. The reconciliation is going
to be concluded before the end of the year.
“The Chief of Staff to the President
will ensure that the committee working on the reconciliation conclude
the work before the end of the year.
“So, what the governors are requesting
from the President is a directive, ‘go ahead to include the next 50 per
cent in your 2018 budget,’ and that is going to be looked at.
“Every state will get its own share of
the Paris Club refund. Every state has a specific amount that was
deducted. That amount may be enough to cover the arrears and it may not
be because you cannot get more than you are entitled to.
“My state has no salary arrears at all. So, whatever we are getting, we will just continue with our development projects.
“Some states have salary arrears that
are bigger than the Paris Club refund they are getting. Even when they
get it, they will not be able to clear the salary arrears. But it is
better to reduce it so that people will have a happy Christmas than
nothing.”
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