Group warns Governors not to mismanage Paris Club loan refund

The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has warned state Governors not to mismanage the about to be released Paris Club loan refund.

Buhari also called on state Governors to use the funds to off-set the salaries of civil servants in their various states.

Speaking on the issue, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran expressed fear that the funds might be diverted for other purposes.

Adeniran also said “We are impressed by the decision of the President to order the release of the loan Refund and the further instruction given by him that Governors should make sure that the funds gets to the end beneficiaries. But we recall the bail-out funds given out to some states previously by the Federal government never got to be used for the purpose they were meant to serve, that is, to pay arrears of workers’ salaries. The funds which were given to governors then in order to help people out of economic hardship were mismanaged by some state governors which increased the sufferings of the end beneficiaries at the end of the day.

“Such funds are supposed to be ‘sacred’ given the fact that the beneficiaries had served the country so loyally and diligently for years only to die of hunger at the hands of the operators of the states.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offence Commission, ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies should be pro-active by keeping their lenses on the movement and handling of the funds and how it is been allocated in each state. This will help in reducing the impunity with which some the governors divert, mismanage or embezzle funds meant for specific purposes leading to socio-economic crisis that increases the sufferings of the ordinary Nigerian.”

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) recently called on the Federal Government to take state Governors who allegedly mismanaged the Paris Club loan refunds to court.