The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has revealed that the Federal Government would settle the inherited debts and contractual obligations to local contractors between 2006 and 2015.
Adeosun made this known while appearing before the ad hoc committee of the Senate on Promissory Note Programme and Bond Issuance.
The committee is chaired by the Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena.
Adeosun, according to a statement issued by her Media Adviser, Oluyinka Akintunde, explained that the debts owed to various classes of contractors, including the terminal benefits of ex-workers of the Nigerian Airways, would be repaid through promissory notes and bonds issuance.
The minister stated that the unpaid Federal Government obligations constituted a drag on economic activities across many sectors, adding that the present administration was determined to address the problem.
She listed the unpaid obligations to include those to pensioners and salary and promotion arrears to civil servants; obligations to contractors and suppliers, who in turn, owed banks, increasing the quantum of non-performing loans; and unpaid electricity bills by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
Others are exporters’ owed funds under the Export Expansion Grant Scheme and unpaid refunds due to state governments in respect of projects undertaken on behalf of the Federal Government.
Adeosun stated, “The Federal Government is working towards settling these inherited debts. The Small and Medium-scale Enterprises are the lifeline of our nation.
“The Federal Government will be stimulating the economy by paying these legacy debts.”
The government, according to her, has approved the issuance of promissory notes and bonds to settle its contractual obligations, subject to the approval of the National Assembly.
On the ex-Nigerian Airways workers, the minister explained that their terminal benefits were reconciled and agreed at N45bn following verification.
She debunked claims by the ex-workers that there was a presidential approval for the payment of terminal benefits of N45bn to them.
Adeosun added, “There has been a misconception in the media that the President had approved the payment of N45bn terminal benefits to the workers.
“There is no presidential approval and no appropriation yet for the payment of N45bn to the ex-workers.”
Earlier, the representative of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Usman, had told members of the Senate ad hoc committee that the government paid N34.2bn to clear the promotion arrears of workers in the MDAs.
Usman, who is the Director of Funds in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, added that the payment process was still ongoing.
“These payments were made to the accounts of the beneficiaries in the MDAs after detailed verification of all documents attached as proof of promotion,” he said.
SOURCE: PUNCH
