Paris Club Fund: How much do the governors plan for salaries?

by Alexander O. Onukwue

Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun on Monday announced the release of the second tranche of Paris Club funds to States, amounting to over N243 bn.

The fund is largely expected to enable State Governors see off the backlog of salary arrears owed to workers, some of which are in double digit number of months.

After the release of the first tranche of N388bn in December, there were allegations that those funds went directly to the pockets of the Governors, as against the payment of salaries. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum made a statement at the time that the second tranche will be used to offset the salary backlogs.

The statement by the NGF in June read:,“The 36 governors resolved to offset the backlog of salaries and pension arrears owed civil servants in the country as soon as the next tranche of payment from the Paris-London Club loan refunds are made… We all agreed that a substantial amount from the next tranche of the Paris-London refunds be used in the settlement of workers salary and pension arrears”.

The lack of transparency in the Governors’ disbursement of the first tranche received in December had raised calls for an EFCC investigation at that time, and it is still not certain what the Governors used those funds for.

The second tranche is over N100bn lower than the first tranche; if they are going to use a “substantial” amount for salaries and pension arrears, what exactly will be the percentage and to what ends will the other fraction of the funds go?

It is imperative that the Governors make it clear and transparent what all of these monies will be used for. These are funds which they have not worked for; hence, there is the propensity to dispense with it on their personal ambitions.

Unless these funds are being judiciously employed – payment of salaries and pensions – the return of the Paris Club loans would have been a waste to the present Government and would not reflect on ordinary Nigerian people.

One comment

  1. Incompetent fellows, only there for name sake, non of em can think of new ideal to better the life’s of d ppl except commissioning boreholes n few roads they’re compell to do. Leader is all abt accountability improve and better the lots of d masses but not these dark skulls.

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