President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to state governors to address the plight of workers in their state by paying salaries.
The President made the appeal when he met with traditional rulers inside the Presidential Villa in the nation’s capital Abuja on Monday.
Workers and pensioners in many states in the country are still being owed months of salaries and the President is worried about the situation and expects that the Paris Club refunds to states would have eased the situation.
President Buhari said, “There are Nigerians that haven’t be paid for six months. There are Nigerians that haven’t been paid their retirement benefits for years. I appeal to the governors; that is why we voted money, we borrowed money.
Please, make sure (you pay) anybody under you. If he is working, he depends on the salary to pay rent, to hold his family, for education, health care…”
According to the President, in order to secure Nigeria, it is important to secure its resources.
The President also used the occasion to preach unity and love among Nigerians.
“Please, continue to pacify your people, to tell them, please think of themselves and their neighbours and their states as all Nigerians. Let us continue to bear with your people,” he told the traditional leaders, among who were the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.
“Those who stand for elections, we know our limitations. We have to continue to strengthen our constitution, to strengthen the resolve of our people. To live together, (and) to work together.”
Away from his concerns about the plight of workers, the President is happy with the level of rainfall this year. And he joked that he would have run away from the country if things had not improved.
And he joked that he would have run away from the country if things had not improved.
He said, “We were lucky last year and this year, the rainy season is even good. If it were not good, I will confide in you that I was deciding which country shall I run to. But God answered the prayers of many Nigerians. The rainy season last year was good and this year with the report I’m getting is good. We thank God for that otherwise there would have been a lot of problems in this country.”
The President assured the traditional rulers that he was aware of the problems Nigerians faced and that he is committed to addressing them.
