The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has said that some states mismanaged the bail-out funds granted them by the federal government to pay workers salaries.
The report published by the commission showed that Benue, Enugu, Imo and Zamfara states topped the list of those who mismanaged the funds.
The monitoring exercise, according to the commission, was necessary “following allegations of diversion of these bail-out funds and to avoid industrial unrest” across the states.
He said, “ICPC in collaboration with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), decided to monitor the disbursement of the bailout funds in the 27 benefitting states.”
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), working in concert with the Nigeria Labour Congress, made good its resolve to monitor the bail-out funds for the offset of salary arrears loaned to 27 states of the federation as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Following the conclusion of the monitoring exercise, the report and probable updates are being released to the public by ICPC to foster understanding between workers and the state governments by providing a transparent process that eliminates information gaps that often lead to rumour-mongering. The commission is convinced that this will promote a healthy atmosphere for interaction between the parties on the matter”, he said.
Out of the 27 benefitting states, the commission was able to cover 23 states. For example in Imo state, the ICPC alleged that out of the N26.8bn bail-out funds received by the state government from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over N6billion was transferred into certain Imo state government accounts which are not related to salaries and emoluments.
In Benue State, the commission said it is investigating how a double payment of N37.7million was made to the office of the Deputy Governor.
The report also showed that out of about N10.2billion bail-out funds granted Enugu State as at November 16, 2015, the state disbursed about N6billion to settle domestic debts, thus leaving staff salaries and emoluments unpaid.
Further findings by the commission indicated that though Zamfara State got N10billion bail-out funds, “careful analysis of the documents provided and interaction with the Nigerian Labour leaders in Zamfara State by ICPC staff revealed that the state was not owing civil servants and pensioners any arrears as at the time the federal government released the bail-out funds.”
Meanwhile, the Benue State government yesterday refuted claim by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that part of the bailout funds given to the state by the federal government was misappropriated.
The state Commissioner of Finance, David Olofu, told newsmen in Makurdi that, “it is true that the Benue State government received the said amount from the federal government to clear the backlog of wages of workers and that the funds were judiciously appropriated for the purpose they were obtained.”
