Resist Diversion Of Paris Club Bailout Funds – CAN Chieftain

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By; VITALIS UGOH, Calabar

A former chieftain of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South/South zone, Rev.(Dr.) Etim Ekpatt, has called on Nigerians from all walks of life to resist any attempt by some state governors to divert the Paris Club bailout funds for other purposes.

The bailout funds were meant for the settlement of pension and gratuity  arrears of civil servants across the country.

The Federal government had in December last year released the first batch of the funds to states for the aforementioned purposes.

Regrettably, he said, “there indications that some of the governors had concluded plans yo divert the funds for irrelevant purposes and should be stopped the Organised Labour as well as other Nigerians”.

According to him “people should rise up and speak out before it is too late”.

Some of the governors, he said, do not pity the current conditions of the retirees and might divert the funds elsewhere thereby defeating the good intention of the federal government.

He said “there is no justification whatsoever for the funds to be diverted. Retirees are human beings who had toiled and worked for 35 years in their various states and should get their reward. They too have families and responsibilities to cater”.

Ekpatt further regretted that some of the state governors have kept these monies for too long and wondered why they are keeping it and for what, he queried”.

He said ” this is the right time to speak out. This is the right time to shout so that the second bailout funds will not go the same way the first one is about going”.

He, therefore, called on the Federal government to put up some monitoring mechanism in place so as to reprimand any governor that diverts the funds for other purposes

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