Contrary to state governors’ claims of paucity of funds to pay workers’ salaries and run their governments, it has emerged that state governments received well over N9,629,440,575,160.42 in the last four years.

That figure represented 26.72 per cent of their share from the Federation Account and proceeds of the Value Added Tax, VAT.

State governors also received a separate 20.60 per cent of the Federation Account revenue as well as the local governments’ share of the VAT, in accordance with the Joint Accounts Provisions of the constitution.

The local governments were allocated an average of about N120 million each within the period under review but the funds were usually “annexed” by governors who gave local government chairmen whatever amounts they (governors) liked.

The figure was also separate from the states’ internally generated revenue. The amount varies from state to state.

The breakdown

An analysis of the receipts by geopolitical zones indicated that the oil-rich South-South got the highest revenue from the central coffer with N3,435,082,465,812.34, followed by the North-West region which got N1,589,955,159,981.08.

South-West came third with N1,372,266,936,693.85, followed by the North-East which received N1,159,089,156,240.80.

The North-Central and the South-East got the least allocations among the regions. North Central got N1,116, 758, 071, 909.96; while the South East kept the rear with N 957, 248, 784, 523.49.

State-by-state breakdown

On a state-by-state basis, Akwa Ibom had the highest allocation of N932 billion; Rivers, N792 billion; Delta, N 714 billion; Bayelsa was fourth on the line with N587 billion.

Lagos and Kano had the highest allocations among the non-oil producing states. They had N404.3 billion and N303.3 billion, respectively.

Others were: Kaduna, N286 billion; Ondo, N259.507 billion; Kastina N229.702 billion; Borno, N226.802 billion; Oyo, N218. 223 billion; Enugu, N216.612 billion; Edo, N214.288 billion; Bauchi, N 214.135 billion; Imo, N208. 208 billion; Jigawa, N202. 792 billion; Niger, N201.844 billion; Plateau, N197.623 billion; Abia, N195.963 billion; Cross River, N195. 937 billion; and Anambra, N 195.862 billion.

The rest were: Sokoto, N194.813 billion; Benue, N194.260 billion; Kogi, N193.865 billion; Kebbi, N192. 902 billion; Adamawa, N188.487 billion; Ogun, N187.787 billion; Yobe, N186. 674 billion; Taraba, N185.573 billion; Zamfara, N180. 473 billion; Kwara, N170. 413 billion; Nasarawa, N157.790 billion; Gombe, N157.415 billion; Osun, N154. 780 billion; and Ekiti, N147.691 billion.

Ebonyi State had the least allocation of N140.602 billion but interestingly was one of the states that regularly paid its workers’ salaries.

A report of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, last month indicated that most of the 36 states of the federation were owing workers’ salaries arrears with some owing as much as seven months.

States that were up to date in the payment of their salaries were: Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba and Ebonyi.

The plight of local government workers is the worst, as some of them have not been paid for well over eight months.

CREDIT: Vanguardngr.com