The refund of the excess paid by States on the Paris Club loan has been described as the rights of the States and not a privilege.
This was the position of State Governors as stated by their Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Abubakar said President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement to the governors at a meeting on Tuesday was part of his usual concern for the plight of workers.
Abubakar, who addressed newsmen after a meeting of some All Progressives Congress governors with the National Working Committee of the party, said: “Don’t forget, this is money that belongs to us.
“We are not begging for anything, but demanding what belongs to us and that it should be paid to us.”
Abubakar said governors have judiciously utilised the Federal Government’s intervention in the payment of salaries and pensions.
He said: “I was at the meeting with the President.
“Mr President, in his usual fashion, expressed his concern on the plight of workers and the downtrodden.
“He did not direct any accusation at the governors because the governors have actually utilised most of the intervention fund from the Federal Government for payment of salaries.
“Take Bauchi State, for example, my salary bill is N5.1 billion (states and local government).
“If you count the number of months that I came to Federal Accounts Allocation Committee and collect anything above N5 billion, it will not be more than five months in my two and half years in office.
“But because of the intervention today, I am proud to say that I am not owing a single kobo salary or pension.
“We have, in the main, utilised this intervention towards payment.”
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