The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has described as “very unfortunate” reports that President Muhammadu Buhari is not happy with governors over unpaid salaries.
Some governors had met with Buhari before he left for Turkey.
In a statement released after the meeting, Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman, said his principal asked the governors how they were able to sleep when workers had not been paid.
“How can anyone go to bed and sleep soundly when workers have not been paid their salaries for months,” he quoted Buhari to have said.
“I actually wonder how the workers feed their families, pay their rents and even pay school fees for their children.”
But speaking to state house correspondents on late Wednesday, Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state and NGF chairman, denied such comments as coming from Buhari.
He said the meeting with the president was “fruitful”.
Yari said Buhari accepted all their requests but asked them to represent their case on his return from Turkey.
“We briefed the members about our meeting with Mr President yesterday (Tuesday), which I’m surprised some of you turned it upside down,” he said.
“You got the full briefing from me and then some of your people went and said they got from another source. I don’t know which source said the president is not happy with the governors. It is very unfortunate.
“We had a very fruitful meeting with Mr President and Mr President accepted all our requests.
“The only thing Mr President said was that he, not being a technical person, we should wait for the minister of finance to return, and the chairman of the economic council to be around so that they can give him update and support on what he is going to say to us.
“So, he said we should reschedule this meeting. I think this is what I told the press yesterday but I wonder how they turned it around.
“Please, we have to be serious with our job. We are working for Nigeria; we are working for our country, working for our people so we shouldn’t misinform the public and should be guided with the things discussed.”
