President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed regret that despite the various interventions by his administration, state governors are still not meeting up with the prompt payment of salaries to workers.
He wondered how the unpaid workers had been managing to meet their needs.
Addressing a delegation of the Nigerian Governors Forum led by the forum’s chairman, Abdulaziz Yari on Tuesday, the President also wondered how the governors are able to carry on without a guilty conscience over the plight of workers.
Yari had led Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom representing South South; Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, representing North West; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, representing North Central; deputy governor of Ebonyi, Dr. Eric Igwe representing South East; Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi, representing North East; and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, representing South West to a meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja.
The various interventions the current administration had extended to states included bailout, Paris Club refund and budget support.
“How can anyone go to bed and sleep soundly when workers have not been paid their salaries for months.
“I actually wonder how the workers feed their families, pay their rents and even pay school fees for their children,” he said.
The President told the governors that two out of the three-pronged focus of the ruling All Progressives Congress to secure the country and fight corruption had received some commendable reviews by the people, noting that the challenge in payment of salaries in states had taken a toll on the people.
“God has been merciful in hearing the prayers of his servants so the rainy season has been good, you can ask the Kebbi State governor on this, and our enormous food importation bill has gone down,” he said.
Buhari said the Federal Government and state executives would need to work closer together to ameliorate the situation of workers across the country.
The President said he had instructed all government agencies to comply with the Treasury Single Account in order to ensure more transparency and prudence in accounting for the revenues of the government and the sharing of entitlements with states.
Yari however absolved his colleagues of any wrongdoing, saying the various interventions by the Federal Government, which include the bailouts, were judiciously utilised by the states.
He stressed that the governors inherited backlog of unpaid salaries and huge debts portfolios on assumption of office.
