Buhari"The next three months may be hard, but billions of dollars can be recovered,” President tells governors
Buhari told the governors that the days of impunity, lack of
accountability, and fiscal recklessness in the management of national
resources are over in Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, held a meeting with Nigeria’s 36 state governors on the financial situation in the country.
Buhari
told the governors that the days of impunity, lack of accountability,
and fiscal recklessness in the management of national resources are over
in Nigeria.
The President also vowed that funds
stolen by government officials who abused their offices in the recent
past will be recovered and systemic leakages stopped.
This was disclosed via a statement released by presidential media aide, Femi Adesina after the meeting.
According to the statement, Buhari said:
"There
are financial and administrative instructions in every government
parastatal and agency. But all these were thrown to the dogs in the
past. Honestly, our problems are great, but we will do our best to
surmount them.”
“The next three months may be hard, but billions of dollars can be recovered, and we will do our best.”
The
President is also said to have expressed surprise that the governors
had tolerated the atrocities allegedly committed with the Excess Crude
Account since 2011 and promised to tackle the issue decisively.
Buhari
further assured the governors that the money spent on federal projects
by state governments would be refunded but due process must be followed.
The governors also decided, during the meeting, to forego a federal bailout for states in financial crisis.
Buhari however said that Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo,
would look into the Excess Crude Account to see what funds can be
immediately shared to provide a lifeline for states which haven’t been
able to pay their workers.
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