The Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has said the revenue accruable to the state from the Federation Account has dropped by over 73 per cent in the last one month.
Aliyu made the revelation in Minna on Wednesday when he performed the ground breaking ceremony of the Commercial and Office Complex of the Niger State Supply Company.
Aliyu said the continuous drop in the price of crude in the international market has strengthened the call for states of the federation to look inwards for other means of funding their projects.
The governor however assured the people of the state that no matter what happens, he will keep to his promise of payment of staff salaries and allowances before the end of every month, noting that some states in the country have not been able to pay salary of their workers for upwards of seven months.
“We will never allow a situation no matter the difficulty where we will not pay workers salaries,” he said.
Also governor Aliyu said his administration has cleared all arrears of pension and gratuities inherited from the last administration, adding that the government has enough money in reserve to pay pension to retirees of government for the next five years.
He challenged the private sector to partner with the government in the economic development of the state, saying that the economic transformation of the state should not be left to the government alone.
Aliyu also commended the management of the Niger State Supply Company for keeping the firm afloat after it was divested from the hands of the government.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, Alhaji Abdulkhadir Lapai, said the new three storey building complex will cost over N32 million and will be completed within six months.
Lapai appreciated the support the government has given the company, which he said has made it to record so much success in the last couple of years.
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