Why FG is Owing IBB, Jonathan, Obasanjo, Gowon, 10 Months Salaries

Photo: New Telegraph

The recession currently being experienced by Nigerians seems to be hitting harder as the Federal Government yesterday revealed that it has not paid the salaries and allowances of former presidents and heads of state in the last 10 months. Those
being owed salaries include Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the immediate past president of the country.



Shagari is the oldest of the former Heads of State. The 91- year-old was elected president between October 1, 1979 and December 31, 1983. The failure to meet its statutory obligations to these past leaders, the federal government said, was due to
paucity of funds arising from the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the non-provision for
these salaries in the service wide votes.

These revelations came when the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter- Governmental Affairs, visited the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) as part of its oversight functions.
According to New Telegraph, the non-payment of former presidents was also due to lack of approval which ought to have been given by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Information revealed that  payment schedules had severally been sent to the President for his approval to assess funds in the service wide vote for the purpose but all attempts in that direction failed. The SGF, Mr. Babachir Lawal, explained that the former presidents were being owed salaries because of the
unavailability of funds in the service wide votes for this purpose.
“There is a department responsible for payment of former Presidents. Presently funds are not available in the service wide votes to do that. We are aware there was a protest in Bayelsa State that the former President (Jonathan) was not paid, but we’ve explained that he’s not the only one affected. “Others affected are inter religious council, traditional rulers’ council and so on. For some reason, we have been writing and writing, but there has been no response.