- NNPC shuns invitation
- Again, FAAC meeting ends in deadlock
Ndubuisi Francis and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The governors of the 36 states of the federation and their state Attorneys General and Commissioner for Justice met last night in Abuja to agree on the way forward on the implementation of the proposed new minimum wage and stamp duty.
The governors who met under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), were disappointed over the shunning of their invitation by the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC).
This is coming as the meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for the month of May suffered another postponement wednesday over what might not be unconnected with the failure of the corporation to remit appropriate revenue into the Federation Account.
The NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Baru Makanti, was to be at the governors’ meeting to explain the alarming fuel consumption volume and the subsidy deductions.
The meeting also explored ways of resolving protracted issue of stamp duty management, which is presently in court.
Speaking to journalists on the agenda of the governors meeting, the Head of Media at the NGF, Abdulzak Bakindo stated that in addition to other issues, the governors would appraise the state of the health sector in the country.
A source said the Chairman of the of NGF, Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, briefed his colleagues on the dispute over the non-remittances by the NNPC, particularly as it affects fuel subsidy payments.
On the issue of the proposed N58,000 new minimum wage, the NGF source said the governors were pushing for a staggered implementation.
It said the issue of the Paris Club fund did not feature because all the outstanding money has been paid.
Regarding the protracted issue of stamp duty allocation, Bakindo said the governors were worried that the matter had dragged for too long.
In line with the mood of the nation over recent babaric killing in Plateau State, the governors would pay a sympathy visit to the state.
“Governors is also planning a sympathy visit Jos to show solidarity with the families of the victims,†he said.
In another development, for the third time this year, the meeting of the FAAC for the month of May suffered another postponement yesterday over what might not be unconnected with the failure of the NNPC to remit appropriate revenue into the Federation Account.
The FAAC meeting in March this year where the representatives of the three tiers of government had gathered to disburse revenue that had accrued to the account for the month of February had ended in a stalemate due to a shortfall of about N37.7 billion in NNPC remittances for that month.
A similar situation had also played out in February.
Several hours after members of FAAC, including various states’ commissioners for finance, account-general counterparts and other top officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, entered a closed plenary session, they emerged from the meeting wearing long faces, indicating that all was not well.
However, the Director of Information, Ministry of Finance, Hassan Doddo, told journalists that the meeting had been postponed.
“The meeting has been postponed to a later date to be announced,†he said, but declined to provide any reason for the postponement.
The Chairman, Forum of Finance Commissioners, Alhaji Yunusa Mahmoud, who usually told journalists the reason for such postponements in the past, this time, declined comment when prodded for an explanation.
But a source told THISDAY that the problem arose from the lingering irreconcilable account with the NNPC.
“The whole thing revolves around NNPC irreconcilable account. However, President Muhammadu Buhari has intervened. But I can’t tell when the meeting will reconvene. That will depend on the outcome of intervention by the president.
Feelers that all might not be smooth with FAAC manifested sometime last week.
Although the monthly meeting for distribution of funds accruing to the Federation Account usually hold between 18 and 20 of every month, officials of the Ministry of Finance were not forthcoming with plausible convincing explanations on why the meeting could not hold last week.
In March this year, FAAC experienced a stalemate over allegation that NNPC withheld of portion of federation fund.
It took the intervention of the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, to reach out to the governors of the 36 states to direct their respective commissioners for finance to accept February revenue.
