Osun gets N6.314bn second tranche of Paris Club refunds

By Gbenga Olarinoye

Osogbo—THE Osun State Government yesterday says it has received its second tranche of Paris Club refunds.

A statement yesterday by the Director of Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, said the refund totaling N6.314 billion was delivered to the state’s coffers yesterday.

“The Osun State Government wishes to announce that it has received the second tranche of the Paris Club refunds. The refunds, totalling N6.314bn was paid into the state’s coffers on Monday July 17, 2017,” the statement said.

Okanlawon expressed government’s commitment to transparent disbursement and utilisation of the funds in line with the aspirations of the stakeholders and in the best interest of the people of the state.

“In line with our government’s promise to utilize the resources of this state in the best interest of our people, we hereby restate our commitment to this promise as we begin shortly transparent deployment on our commitments to the concerned stakeholders,” he said.

The release of the funds now forecloses previous insinuations from certain quarters that government had received the funds long ago but failed to disburse them to pay workers’ salaries up to date as well as settlement of pensioners’ and retirees’ pensions and gratuities respectively.

This fuelled a spate of recent protests by medical doctors and pensioners who held Osogbo, the state capital hostage and paralysed commercial and social activities for two days within the same week to demand for their pay.

But the state government said it has not received the refund as alleged by pensioners in the state.

The government then appealed to pensioners to understand the financial situation of the state and show understanding in their agitation, alleging that a section of the pensioners was being mischievous about the financial status of the state.

The post Osun gets N6.314bn second tranche of Paris Club refunds appeared first on Vanguard News.