- FG finally bows to govs to refund London Paris Club deductions
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), on Tuesday at their emergency meeting through a consensus elected the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, and the Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.
In a communique signed by the Governor of Sokoto State and outgoing Chairman, of the Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, said at the end of briefings they received on various interventions, and issues of national importance they resolved as follows:
“On the leadership of the Forum, the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, emerged as the new Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum through a consensus, and the Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde is now the Vice Chairman.
“Members expressed satisfaction with the success of the just concluded Induction for new and returning Governors that took place between the 14th and 19th of May, 2023. Members committed to sustained collaboration among the states through enhanced peer review, learning at the sub-national level and deepening the relationship with the Federal Government and other institutions.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is to refund state governments, all monies so far deducted from state accounts to meet Local Government Councils’ London Paris Club obligations.
Tambuwal, disclosed in the communique that the Federal Government has granted the governors’ request to immediately stop further deductions from the states’ accounts.
Recall that the governors had in November last year kicked against the payment of $418 million and the promissory notes issued to the Paris Club consultants by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office, vowing to continue to explore all legal channels available to them in ensuring that ‘’resources belonging to states are not unjustly or illegally paid to a few in the guise of consultancies.”
The communique by the NGF states: “Finally, members were briefed by the Chairman of the Forum that the Hon. Minister of Finance has granted the request of the Forum to immediately stop further deductions from the accounts of states to meet Local Government Councils London Paris Club obligations and the monies so far deducted be paid back to the states.”