Governors demand further bailout from Buhari

OLUSESAN LAOYE

Due to huge indebtedness in states, governors will tomorrow press further for bailout fund from the Federal Government when the National Economic Council (NEC) meets at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Some of the states are still owing workers’ salaries despite benefitting from the share of $2.1 billion from Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) about three weeks ago.

Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Zamfara State governor and chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Abdulaziz Yari, said he came to find out the update on the agreement for a bailout fund to be facilitated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for governors during last NEC meeting.

According to him, he wanted to know how far the presidency has gone with the CBN in sourcing the bailout funds ahead of the NEC meeting.

He said he had received the brief from the vice president and would be waiting for the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, who is currently on the entourage of the president to the United States to return and take action.

“We discussed about the issue of the special intervention funds. In our last meeting with the president, we agreed in the National Economic Council that there will be a special intervention from the federal (government) for the states that cannot foot their salary arrears to their workers.

“So, I followed up with the chairman of the NEC (the vice president) to know how far they have gone with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“This issue of unpaid salaries is not only for the states, even the Federal Government is suffering the same thing.

“Therefore, we follow up to know how far they have gone with the CBN governor and now we have gotten the brief but the CBN governor is out in Washington and immediately he comes back we are going to take up the matter to see the end of issue of unpaid salaries to the workers.”

On terrorism, Yari said a lot of grounds have been covered in the war against the Boko Haram sect.

He said members of the sect could no longer be found in any forest in the local government areas in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, unlike what was applicable before now.

He added, “The issue of insurgency is a problem of all. Now, the Boko Haram members cannot be found in any forest, or in any local government (area) among the occupied local government areas in Borno, Yobe or Adamawa states. You cannot find them.

“So, what we are now suffering is a kind of guerrilla war, checking the bombs, dislodging the suicide bombings and what have you.

“But to see a group of 100 or 200 as Boko Haram members to confront with our military, they cannot be found. So the government and the security agencies are doing their best to ensure that peace is restored, not that these things started under one year, two years.

“We are working and now it is the responsibility of our government to ensure security of lives and property of the people and the issue of Boko Haram is number one that Mr. President is discussing with the president of the United States and the support he is going to give Nigeria to ensure that the issue of insurgency comes to an end.

“Government is going to put the machinery in place, most especially the military and security, to ensure that the insurgency comes to and end.”

Yari also talked about the incidents of lead poison in his state and the steps taken to address the problem.

He said his government was working with some international groups to educate the youths on how best to go about mining without causing harm to themselves.