Paris Club: FG Recalls Five States Disbursements

It may have drew the ire of some, but the Federal Government, yesterday, ordered the recall of the second tranche of London and Paris Club Refunds disbursed to five states, amounting to about $2.7 billion (N972 billion.)

No reason for the recall was given. The states involved are Delta, Imo, Benue, Rivers and Osun. But the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has called for an emergency meeting to challenge the action which some of them believe was politically motivated.

Economic Confidential also gathered that the recall is done directly from the states’ accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). However, many of the states confirmed that the money had already been spent mostly on payment of workers’ salary arrears.

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom said he directed the commencement of payment of salary arrears, pensions and gratuity from the N14.9 billion Paris Club refund received by the state to pave way for speedy payment of the funds to workers and retirees.

Osun State Commissioner for Information, Adelani Baderinwa, claimed the government was yet to be informed and cannot speak on the refund because the Paris Club Refund has been spent on workers’ salary.

NGF emergency meeting

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, Gov. Abdul’Aziz Yari Abubakar, has called an emergency meeting of the Forum for today, Tuesday 25th Sept, 2018 at the NGF Secretariat in Abuja by 3:00 pm. The meeting has just one agenda, CBN’s recall of the London & Paris Club Refunds to States.

Yari, in the invite to the other governors, requested them to come along with at least three (3) months evidence of salary payment as well as evidence of any challenge related to the payment of salaries in their states.

Recall that the Federal Government said that the states should clear backlog of salaries and other related staff arrears before they would be able to access the remaining $2.7 billion Paris Club Refund.