Don’t give more funds to states until…, APDA tells FG

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By Femi SHODUNKE

NIGERIA: APPARENTLY dissatisfaction with previous spending, the Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance (APDA) has urged the Federal Government to halt further release of funds to the states in the country.

The party said that government should give the states fund after “a comprehensive and extensive audit is carried out to determine the true state of affairs in the states, especially in the face of the claims and counter claims of the state governments and labour unions.”

The APDA said it commended the government of President Muhammadu Buhari in the payment of workers’ salaries through Paris Club refund and bailout funds to states, but it felt dissatisfied that none of the states could justifiably account for proper use of the funds.

“It is unfortunate and unacceptable that despite huge and timely release of these funds no state has been adjudged to have utilised the funds for its primary purpose,” the party said in a news release signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tosin Adeyanju.

“To this end, APDA enjoins the Federal Government not to accede to any request for further release of funds,” it said, adding: “APDA is equally of the stance that all releases as regards the payment of workers’ salaries should be done

through the IPPIS in states which is in use at the federal level and has recorded astounding success in the timely payment of salaries and identification of ghost workers.”

The party also said: “APDA believes that the streamlining of all public sector workers salaries through the IPPIS would greatly reduce public funds wastage as cases of ghost workers has bedevilled the public sector for a long time.”

“We call upon Nigerians to step forward and be counted in our commitment to return our country to the trajectory of prosperity by voting only credible persons into positions of public trust,” APDA further said.

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