34 councils owe Katsina govt N9bn —Masari

GOVERNOR Aminu Masari of Katsina State says the 34 Local Government Councils owed the state government N9 billion.

Masari disclosed this on Monday in Katsina during a stakeholders meeting on the way forward for the local councils.

He said that the government lent the funds to the councils to enable them pay workers salaries following the reduction in their monthly allocations from the federation account.

Masari said that the funds were given from the State/Local Councils Joint Account.

He explained that the councils required N3.9 billion monthly to pay workers salaries alone, which their allocation from the Federation Account could not shoulder.

He said that the councils received N11.1 billion refunds from Paris Club, where about N10 billion was spent on settlement of gratuities and pension for retirees.

The governor said that the government was ready to conduct local government elections after the court case before a Court of Appeal on the dissolution of the councils.

He noted that the state needed advice from all stakeholders on the way out for the local councils in the state.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdulkadir Zakka, said that the councils inherited only N11 million from the previous administration.

He said that currently, the councils had only N298 million in the joint account.

Alhaji Abdullahi Imam, the Special Adviser on Budget, said that 50 per cent of the councils, that is 17 local governments could pay salaries but could not execute capital projects.

‘’The remaining 17 councils cannot pay salaries and cannot execute projects, he remarked.”