Osun explains how it spent N11.7B Paris club refund

The Osun State government has explained how its share of the Paris Club refund, received a month ago from the federal coffers, was dispensed.

The refunds were part of over-deductions from State allocations to offset loans from the Paris-London club.

In December 2016, the Osun State government paid out the sum of N13,645,546,673.04 to clear salaries, leave bonuses and pension arrears of four (4) months, State executives told Pulse.

The Accountant General of the state of Osun, Mr. Akintayo Kolawole, said the state government accountably expended the sum of N11,744,237,793.56 received from the federal government in November 2016.

The sum was first tranche of the Paris Club refund.

Speaking with Journalists in his Osogbo office, Kolawole revealed that the Osun Revenue Apportionment Committee headed by Comrade Hassan Sunmonu agreed for the total Paris Club refund to be spent on clearing workers salary arrears.

“The revenue apportionment committee agreed that the Paris refund be used in paying salaries and that the sum of N1.9B be added by the State government to augment salary payment to local government workers,” Kolawole noted.

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Speaking on how a total of N13.6B was used in paying salary arrears, Kolawole explained:

“The sum of N8,519,437.233.43 was paid out as salaries for September, October, November and December.

"Similarly, the sum of N924,676,305.24 was paid out as leave bonuses for the four months, while the sum of N2,496,605,100.64 was paid in pensions for the same period.”

Explaining how the State spent above the N11.74B received as Paris Club refund, the Accountant General noted that the sum of N1,704,828,033.73 was transferred to the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for the payment of salaries at that level.