Ugwuanyi, workers meet over N32.2bn debt

From Chidi Nnadi, Enugu

ENUGU State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi yesterday confirmed that he inherited N32.27 billion debt compris­ing arrears of salaries, pen­sions and gratuities owed workers in the state.

Accountant General of the state, Mr. Pascal Okoli gave the figure at a meeting con­vened by the government at Government House to dis­cuss with leaders of labour unions in the state on how to disburse the N4.2 billion bailout approved for the state to pay its workers. The state is yet to be credited with the sum.

The accountant general said “as at June 2015, the arrears of salaries (subventions), pensions and gratuities owed by the Enugu State and the 17 local governments stood at N32.275,907,800.29.”

Breaking the figure down, Okoli said N13.4 billion of the debt constituted arrears of pensions, gratuities and sub­ventions to parastatals and boards, while the balance of N18.7 billion comprised out­standing arrears owed by the local governments.

Although Governor Ug­wuanyi said the development had put his administration in a difficult financial situation, he assured the workers that he would do his best to offset the debt.

He told the workers that he had followed due process in applying to access the loan, saying he would constitute a technical committee to man­age the fund when it arrived.

“If we collect the money, we will let you know; it is necessary as a government that we carry you along,” the governor said. He regretted that the state was facing a huge financial problem at a time it had kick-started some capital projects.

He explained that the bail­out fund approved did not cover the arrears owed by the local governments. He, how­ever, assured the workers that whenever the Federal Gov­ernment decided on a bailout package for the councils, his administration would de­ploy whatever fund received to defraying the debt owed government employees at the grassroots.

Ugwuanyi regretted that the N4.2 billion approved for the state would not do much in paying the debt owed the workers, saying the state’s employees’ “income situation is pitiable”. He wondered why people relieved of their jobs 20 years ago were yet to receive their pensions and gratuities.