Paris Club Refund: Governor Ahmed Releases Additional N1b to LGAs

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, July 25th, 2017

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the release of additional N1billion to local government councils in the State to offset part of the outstanding salary arrears owed their staff.

This brings to N2billion the total amount of money the State government has released to the local government councils out of the N5.1billion it recently received as its share of the Paris Club refund from the Federal Government. The Governor had also earlier approved the release of N312m to state-owned-tertiary institutions for the payment of salary arrears.

Governor Ahmed gave the approval on Monday at a meeting with officials of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the State.

This is as the governor also assured tertiary institutions in the State that the issue of delayed subvention will become a thing of the past.

The governor stated that the earlier N1b released to the councils should go towards payment of LG workers and pensioners, while the additional N1b should be used to pay staff of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Alhaji Ahmed further noted that the decision to release additional N1billion to the councils was based on an understanding with the State House of Assembly during a meeting held earlier in the day as the Paris Club refund receipts were state funds captured in the 2017 budget.

The governor added that the decision was also based on the understanding with State Legislators that some of the projects budgeted for implementation in this fiscal year, such as the renovation of the indoor Sports Hall of the Kwara State Stadium, payment of counterpart funding for the construction of classrooms at the primary school level and other payments to State’s pensioners and workers will be suspended in favour of the Local government and SUBEB workers.

Governor Ahmed, however, emphasized that any further inflow to the State government under the Paris Club refund would be used to take care of salaries, pensions and projects that have now been stepped down.