The Governor of Niger State, Abubarkar Bello, has said that the state borrows N400m every month to augment the payment of workers’ salaries because the state’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account was not enough to pay public servants monthly wage.
Bello, who said this in a chat with newsmen in Minna on Tuesday, added that the state was passing through hard times.
He said, “Last month, we borrowed to complete the salaries. This month will be worse and next month will be the worst. We have been borrowing about N400m to augment workers’ salary payments. Workers should please endure with the government, for in no distance time, things will change for the better.”
Bello, however, blamed the mistakes of the past government and dwindling revenue from crude oil sales as some of the reasons for the current financial stress the state and the country in general had been passing through.
“We have seen the era when the price of crude oil rose to $140 per barrel but what we have now is a situation where the entire revenue accruing to the state go straight to civil servants’ salaries.
“The entire population of civil servants in Niger State is not less than 30,000, and the allocation from the federal sources to us is for over four million people and it is being distributed to only the workers. This is a very serious situation and this means that there will be no developmental projects in the state.”
Bello said that the situation would take some time to improve because the outcome of the governors’ meeting with the Minister of Finance last week in Abuja suggested that the “situation will not improve until between three and four months.”
Bello charged the workers to tighten up their belts for the hard times ahead and promised to do the best for the people no matter the financial challenge facing the state.
He, however, pleaded with the workers and the state’s citizens to be patient with the government, adding that they should support him to rebuild the state. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Is your APC governors that insists on sharing the excess crude money. You don't have a blue print before taking over? Campaign is over put acts together and deliver pls. Or resign
ReplyDeleteAll the way from Niger State, you are still hoping for oil windfall to survive. What became of your internally generated revenue? It is time we practice true federalism in this country. For real.
ReplyDeleteANY STATE THAT IS INCAPABLE OF MEETING MONTHLY SALARIES OF WORKERS SHOULD LOOK FOR A BETTER WAY OF GENERATING FUNDS. BORROWING TO PAY SALARY IS UNHEALTHY AND A CALAMITY TO SUCH A STATE IN THE FEDERATION. IT GOES TO CONFIRM THAT SOME OF THE UNNECESSARY ACTIVITIES OF THE STATE MUST BE ERADICATED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT!
ReplyDelete