CNPP wants FG, states to publish details of Paris Club payments

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) is demanding that the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and all state governors publish details of payments to each state as part of the reimbursement for the over-deduction on the Paris Club loan.

The CNPP, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu yesterday, pointed out that it was immoral for states to receive the reimbursements and yet owe workers salary.

According to Ezugwu: “We have observed with dismay that most states are still owing their workers several months of salary and pension arrears. It is immoral for state governors owing civil servants’ salaries not to pay now, having received huge amounts as reimbursements from the Federal Government.

“More worrisome is the spate of controversies surrounding the refund as some states now claim they are yet to receive the reimbursement, while workers at both the state and local government levels were left without their sufferings ameliorated by their state governors.”

“We are amazed that these same state governments that are owing their pensioners and workers received presidential bailout funds for the purpose of settling the salary arrears, which they eventually pocketed.”

Lamenting the plights of workers whose salaries were still outstanding in many states, Ezugwu said, “the CNPP is now disturbed that from the body language of most of our governors, the over deduction refunded to states may go down the drains just like the President Buhari’s bailout funds they received.

“If the Federal Ministry of Finance does not want to be seen as collaborators in ongoing corruption at state levels, which led to non payment of salaries in the first place, the details of payment to each state must be published in newspapers and on their website for worker to be able to hold their state government accountable.

The umbrella body of the opposition political parties in the country also demanded that all state governors publish the details of the reimbursement as they received from the Federal government.A recent report said only three states; Lagos, Enugu and Rivers were paying salaries as at when due.