Stories by Bimbola Oyesola, 08033246177

Organised labour has warned state governors against diverting the new Paris Club refunds allocated to them for the payment of workers’ salary.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), said diverting the funds at this period would portend danger for the country.

The national president of the union, Igwe Achese, who commended President Muhammad Buhari for the release of the funds, said there were indications that the governors intend to divert the allocations, just as they did with the previous bailouts from the federal government.

He expressed disappointed at the governors’ outbursts that President Buhari did not tell them to clear all salary arrears before Christmas.

The union had commended the President for the release of the 50 per cent Paris Club debt refund to the 36 states to enable them pay salary arrears before Christmas.

“It is a good policy direction to end the sufferings of workers and pensioners in 21 states, where they are owed, out of the 36 states that make up the federation,” Achese said.

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NUPENG said that it would be unfair and unjustifiable for any of the governors to divert the funds to feather their nests in their 2019 re-election bid or for other political agenda.

The union said, “The attitude of the governors portends danger that can cause revolt and prolonged industrial crisis, if they refuse to obey President Buhari’s order to use the money to pay backlog of salaries owed.

“This shows their level of insincerity, unseriousness and insensitivity to the plight of Nigerian Workers.”

It also condemned the utterances of the governors that the 50 per cent Paris Club balance would not be enough to offset salary arrears.

Achese said his union believed that the governors were selfish, parochial and disinterested in the masses, thereby owing workers salaries for uo to 10 months.

He, therefore, called on the President to set up an independent monitoring team to know how the governors spend the monies and, where any diversion or misappropriation is established, such governors should be sanctioned.