Paris Club refund: Provide proof of payment, Gov Akeredolu challenges Ondo labour leaders

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has challenged labour leaders in the state to produce evidence that the state government received the last tranche of the Paris Club loan refund paid by the Federal Government.

According to the governor, it beholds the labour leaders to provide proof of receipt of the said loan as his government is all about transparency and accountability.

The Governor who stated this in his remarks at the World Food Day celebration held at the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, the Ondo State capital, dared the workers to drag him before the anti graft agency if there are evidence about fixing the Paris loan refund in a commercial of Central Bank of Nigeria as claimed by the leadership of labour union.

He, however, said his government would continue to give priority to the welfare of the workers in the State while he said other members of the public should adequately benefit for the government.

“We do not owe any worker since I assume office, I have been paying their salaries as an when due, even the eight months owned by the last administration I have paid part of it.

“We will also pay their leave bonus. Everybody will get his or her leave bonus before the end of this week.

“It has been rumoured that I have fixed the Paris Club refund, it is not true, no governor can fix that money; we have not received that money.

“I challenge anybody to tell the world the bank in which we have fixed the money.

“We need to take care of other people in the State because we are working for all the people of the State and there is need to develop the State in terms of roads and other infrastructural development.

“We cannot expend all the money accrued to the State to pay salaries of workers. We cannot do more than our capacity because we have other things to attend to,” he stated.

Workers and pensioners in the state had alleged that the Paris Club Loan Refund had been paid to the state government, which according to them, has been fixed in a commercial bank in the state.