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24 States To Grapple With Salary Woes

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Anticipated challenges loom as at least 24 states in the federation may struggle to meet employee salary obligations this year, requiring federal allocations from the central government.

An analysis of the 2024 fiscal year budgets reveals that only 11 out of the 36 state governments possess the autonomy to cover workers’ salaries without federal support.

Notably, states with robust internal revenue, such as Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun, Ogun, and Zamfara, stand out in this fiscal landscape.

Open States, an online platform supported by BudgIT, offers a comprehensive archive of authorized budget allocations, providing transparency in governmental financial planning.

It’s worth noting that, among the 36 states, the budget of Rivers State is yet to be disclosed on the platform.

A thorough examination of budget data exposes a significant challenge—24 states find themselves incapable of covering salary payments solely through Internally-Generated Revenue.

As a result, these states might resort to relying on Federal Government allocations or exploring loans from banks and other financial institutions to meet their financial commitments.

This development has created a scenario where wages in the affected states surpass their internal revenue generation, raising concerns about employee productivity and the overall efficacy of state governments in revenue generation.

The list of states grappling with this challenge includes Bayelsa, Ondo, Yobe, Sokoto, Taraba, Plateau, Oyo, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Borno, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River.

This development unfolds against the backdrop of labor unions advocating for wage increases at both federal and state levels, spurred by the escalating cost of living following fuel subsidy removal and the unification of foreign exchange markets by the current administration.

The Nigerian Labour Congress has consistently asserted that if inflation persists, organized labor might be compelled to demand a new minimum wage of N1 million for Nigerian workers. Despite this, the government has steadfastly rejected the demand.

During the first half of 2023, state governments resorted to borrowing approximately N46.17 billion from three major banks to meet salary obligations from January to June 2023.

This revelation stems from an analysis of the financial statements of Access Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith Bank Plc for the first half of 2023.

Notably, Access Bank emerged as the primary lender during this period, extending loans totaling N42.97 billion to the states. Following closely were Zenith Bank, with N1.78 billion borrowed, and Fidelity Bank, which provided loans amounting to N1.42 billion within the same six-month timeframe.

State governors experienced their most substantial FAAC allocations in at least seven years during 2023.

This upswing in allocations to all three tiers of government, with states in focus, is credited to the removal of petrol subsidies and currency reforms enacted by the current administration.

The reported outcome of these reforms is a notable 40% surge in income.

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Isaac Fayose Bullies Tenants, Threatens Demolition Over Rent

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A celebrity landlord, Isaac Fayose, has issued threats to tenants occupying one of his houses in Abuja over his claims of their owing him three years’ rent.

Fayose, a brother to former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, vented his threats in a video which has gone viral on microblogging site, X.com on Tuesday.

From the video footage, Fayose, expressing himself in pidgin said the tenant(s) refused to pay him rent for three years.

He was also experiencing frustration, as the tenant(s) opted to involve the law court, which has resulted in adjournments to elongate their living in the house.

He said, “Three years, you never paid rent. You dey do gra-gra inside the court. Na your house? Na your baba house? God go punish you.”

Another person suspected to be a tenant in Fayose’s apartment was heard in the viral video responding, “You dey craze. God go punish you.”

Fayose also called out the tenants over an alleged plan to claim ownership of the property.

He vowed that he would demolish the property and damn the consequences.

“The tenant said na dem get the house. Ole tenants.

“I will demolish the house. Let the Nigerian government jail me if they want to. How can I get a house and tenants go dey owe me to the tune of three years and dem go dey hide for court?

“No justice. No be by forced to stay in Abuja o. If you cannot pay rent in Abuja, go to your village and stay.

“No dey play wayo-wayo game inside the court and be staying inside person property for free. Let me commit the offence. Let me break the house. Make dem detain me for one week after they will bail me.

“But una go don comot first. The rest go be history,” he stated.

As if to drive his message to the erring tenants home, Fayose had earlier shared a video of himself ordering the removal of the doors and roofs of a recalcitrant tenant who he claimed refused to pay rent for four years.

He claimed in that post that the tenant had the guts to take him to court despite owing rent.

In the video he shared, artisans could be seen removing the doors and windows of the apartment.

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Minister Opposes Speaker’s Marriage Plan For 100 Orphaned Girls In Niger

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In a bid to halt the marriage of 100 orphaned girls orchestrated by Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkindaji of the Niger State Assembly, Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has officially petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for legal intervention.

The controversial move by Speaker Sarkindaji aims to provide marital support for girls orphaned by bandit attacks in the Mariga Local Government Area, scheduled for May 24th.

Mrs. Kennedy-Ohanenye’s opposition was made clear during a press conference in Abuja, where she announced the initiation of a thorough investigation into the matter.

She said, “I want to let the honorable speaker of house in Niger states to know that this is totally unacceptable by Federal Minister Of Women Affairs and by the government totally unacceptable. Because there is something called the Child’s Right Act and I said it from the onset, that is no more business as usual.

“These children must be considered their future must be considered the future of the children to come out of their marriage must be considered. So I have gone to court. I have written him a letter and written a petition to the IG of police.

“And I have filed for injunction to stop him from whatever he is planning to do on the 24th, until a thorough investigation is carried out on those girls, find out whether they gave their consent, their ages, find out the people marrying them.”

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IPI Secures Release Of Detained Nigerian Journalist

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A Nigerian journalist, Ibraheem Hamza Mohammed, was on Friday released from prison after the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) intervened in his case.

This was contained a statement issued by the Legal Adviser/Chairman, Advocacy Committee, IPI Nigeria, Tobi Soniyi.

Recall that the Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police had arrested Mohammed on 1 May after he was accused of falsely publishing that N40 million was stolen from Governor Abdullahi Sule’s bedroom.

The article was published on 22 February 2024 on First News, a Lagos-based online newspaper.

The police then charged him with violation of the Cybercrime Act and secured an order for his remand at the Medium Security Custodian Centre in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, pending commencement of trial.

However, the journalist was released Friday after a Nasarawa High Court sitting in Doma granted him bail.

He spent 10 days in jail.

He was to remain on bail till 13 May when the police are expected to withdraw the charges against him and discontinue the trial.

To secure his release, IPI Nigeria’s delegation led by the President, Musikilu Mojeed, visited Lafia on 6 May, meeting with top officials of the Nasarawa State government, including Governor Sule, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Labaran Magaji and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ibrahim Addra.

The delegation also visited and conferred with the journalist, Mohammed, in prison.

Meanwhile, the management of First News has apologised to Governor Sule over the story, saying it has since found “that the said story lacked any form of truth in it and that the reporter merely concocted the story in his bid to pursue a personal vendetta against the governor.

“While tendering an unreserved apology to the Nasarawa State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Abdullahi Sule, we wish to assure him that such will not repeat itself ever again,” the newspaper added.

IPI Nigeria is hereby admonishing Nigerian journalists to always uphold the ethics of their profession, desist from publishing false news, and continue to observe a high degree of standard in their practice.

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