FG did not give states money to pay salaries –Gov Ahmed

Kwara governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, has said that the Federal Government had not given money to any state government to pay backlog of workers’ salaries.

Ahmed made the clarification yesterday during a live radio programme, ‘Governor explains’ of Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation, in Ilorin.

He said that what Kwara got from the Federal Government was its share of dividend from Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).

He said President Muhammadu Buhari only released the money that ought to have been shared during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan at a meeting with the governors.

Ahmed said that contrary to claim in some quarters, the Federal Government would not give money to any state to pay workers’ salaries.

He disclosed that Kwara received N2.1 billion from the NLNG funds while the 16 local government councils in the state received N1.4 billion.

He said that the “NLNG dividend” was not supposed to be used to pay salary, but should be kept to augment federal allocations to meet government’s obligations to the people.

“But in Kwara State, we used part of the money to pay workers’ salaries, especially as the Sallah celebration was drawing nearer,” he said.