Paris Club Refund: Enugu govt yet to disburse N3.1bn for workers salary arrears

By Chinenyeh Ozor

ENUGU— Following the Paris Club refund of N5.1 billion releashed to Enugu State government few months back, the governrmet has stayed action on the disbursement of N3.1 billion meant for arrears of salary of state workers and parastals.

Chairman the state Trade Union Congress, TUC, Mr Chukwuma Igbokwe, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Enugu, pointing out that the last tranche of N5.1 billion was released to Enugu State from the Paris Club refund and immediately, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi called a meeting of stakeholders and labour where the sharing formula of the N5.1 billion was adopted and applied.

Igbokwe noted that the sharing formula was between the state and the local governments  in which the state government got N3.1 billion to offset workers arrears of salaries while local governments got N2 billion.

Breakdown of the sharing formula showed that of the N2 billion, local government pensioners received N1bn; local government staff salary arrears took N700 million while N300 million was assigned for the settlement of arrears or  severance packages of former councillors and council chairmen in the 17 local government councils in the state.

The TUC chairman stated that Governor Ugwuanyi is not among state governors that misappropriated the Paris Club refund recently released by Federal Government to pay pensioners and workers arrears of salaries.

In this regard, he said Enugu State trade unions would not partake in the looming nationwide protest over non implementation of the Paris Club bailout refund by some state governors.

“Enugu state would not join other states planning to embark on nationwide protest for non disbursement of the Paris Club refund by state governors for the payment of workers salary. Governor Ugwuanyi is open and has judiciously disbursed the last tranche of the fund recently released to the state by Federal government”.

However, the TUC Chairman said that the state government has stayed action on the disbursement of its own share of N3.1bn” At the level of the state, labour have not discussed on the disbursement of the N3.1b because of some issues raised by government on workers in the education sector, parastatals, and pensioners in the parastatals among

other issues”.

“But for us at the labour side, what we have done is to return back and articulate those arrears particularly the state owned parastatals like the waterboard, ENADEP and Sports council recently absorbed into the civil service and are owed more than three years.

“Governor Ugwuanyi has assured that the N3.1b will be used to pay both salaries and pensions”, he said.

“Ugwuanyi administration is of inclusiveness, you don’t expect labour to fight government whose monthly wage bill is being paid regularly. Governor Ugwuanyi is open; we are carried along in most of the policy decisions.

“The governor has even assured us that our call for increment of salary will be looked into once there is improvement in revenue base of the state.”

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