Buhari Approves N72billion For Salaries

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday approved additional N71.8 billion to augment shortfall in the 2016 budgetary allocation for payment of delayed workers salaries, Daily Trust gathered.
This will enable the government pay thousands of workers who are owed November and December salaries.
The amount is part of the N213 billion virement assented to by Buhari yesterday, Daily Trust has learnt.
Sources had initially told Daily Trust that the president had withheld assent because the National Assembly increased the budget by N33billion, but he was persuaded to sign the virement to enable some agencies pay workers salaries before Christmas.
The Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun had explained inability of some government agencies to pay November salaries saying the shortfall is to be augmented through the virement.
She told State House reporters after cabinet meeting on Wednesday that “What we did in the virement we sent to the National Assembly, which the National Assembly approved, was that we listed all the agencies that had problems with their salaries and applied to National Assembly.
We had to go back to the National Assembly to ask for an increase in the budgetary allocation of those agencies.”
The president sent the virement proposal of N180.8 billion to the National Assembly on October 26, 2016, requesting the approval for the N166.6billion for special intervention (recurrent) and N14.2 billion for special intervention (Capital Supplementation).
Several government agencies could not pay November salaries including the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC). Adeosun said “All the agencies have an allocated IPPIS which is the salary platform. If for example an agency has a N12bn salary for the year, we insist they continue to pay until that N12bn is exhausted.
“Instead of taking N1bn a month, such agencies were taking N1.2bn or N1.3bn. So, by the time it got to October, many agencies had exhausted their allocations.
The approved virement provides N71.8billion for settlement of the Public Service Wage Adjustment (PSWA). Other provisions are: Contingency N1.2billion; margin for increase in cost (MIC) N2billion; cadet feeding (Police Academy, Kano) N932million and Amnesty Programme N35billion.
There is also internal operation of the Armed forces N5.2billion, Operation Lafiya Dole N13.9 billion, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) N19.7billion, Foreign Missions N14.6billion and augmentation of meal subsidy/ direct teaching and laboratory cost N900million.
For statutory transfer, N1.2bilion was approved for the Public Complaints Commission.
In the area of capital, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will get N12.7billion and Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) is to receive N1.5billion.
Daily Trust leant that there was little delay on the approval by the president due to the increment of about N33billion by the senate over his original request.
Analysis of the figure by Daily Trust shows that the National Assembly added N25billion for payment of local contractors and other liabilities as well as N5billion for the SDG Housing under the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. The request for foreign missions was also increased by N1.74 billion from the original request.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wike "Changes His Name" Over Dismissal Of 6 Policemen In Rivers.

Image
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the government and people of the state will stand with the six policemen illegally dismissed by the Police High Command for political reasons because they committed no crime known to law. The governor noted that the government and people of Rivers State will pursue the matter through laid down legal processes to its logical conclusion. He spoke on Saturday in Ahoada East Local Government Area during the defection of Former APC Chieftain and Former Ahoada East Local Government Chairman, Mr Cassidy Ikegbidi. He said: "They gave me policemen for my protection, but before I knew it, they have dismissed them. They think they are punishing them , but Rivers State will stand with them forever. "By the time we finish, they will realise that they have favoured the so-called dismissed policemen. In Rivers State, we don't abandon people. No amount of intimidation, will make me abandon these innocent policemen ".
Read more

US Asks Its Citizens To Leave Gambia As Tension Rises

Image
The US embassy in the Gambia has advised US citizens living in Gambia to leave the country as tension continues to rise following whether Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh will step down this January for the President-elect, Adama Barrow to to be sworn-in as the country’s new President, . Jeffrey Smith, a Gambia-focused analyst, says the advice was given during a town hall-style meeting with the ambassador earlier today Friday.
Read more

Presidency Reveals Date Buhari Will Return To Nigeria

Image
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina has revealed the day his principal will return. This is as he described the growing tension over the health of the president as “purely unnecessary”. Adesina also disclosed that Buhari is expected back into the country on February 6th. He told those calling on the president to speak to Nigerians on the true state of his health to respect his rights, saying no one can force the President to speak.
Read more