By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi.
It has been observed that the Bauchi State Government has judiciously used the N8.6 billion Federal Government bailout funds given it to offsets backlog of salaries of civil servants in the state.
Making the observation, a Bauchi based political pressure group, the Democratic Enlightenment Initiative (DEI), called on the state government to yet seek another bailout from the Federal government to offset backlog of gratuities it owed pensioners in the state.
According to the DEI, it is pathetic that the federal government bailout funds to Bauchi state has not taken care of pensioners who have diligently served for 35 years or attained the age of 60 while in service.
A statement signed by the Initiative chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim and made available to journalists in Bauchi Monday, observed that Bauchi state is the best in the country in terms of judicial utilization of the bailout funds.
It recalled the recent meeting in Abuja of 20 Civil Society Groups where all the state governments that enjoyed FG bailout were invited but only Bauchi attended an indication that absentee states have problems in the implementation of the bailout funds.
“Today, bailout has a dedicated account with the zenith bank in Bauchi with only N18 million to the credit of that account, all others have been used in the payment of salaries because the money is loaned to the state to offset salaries backlog”, the initiative learnt.
Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim also commended the Bauchi state government for the on-going screening exercise being undertaken by Heads of MDAs and LG caretaker chairmen to flush out ghost workers in the service.
The Initiative also hailed the state government’s Five points health agenda tagged ‘Lafiya Garkuwa’ to provide good health to the people that culminated to the provision of various primary health centres across the twenty local government areas of the state.
These, initiative recalled, were in addition to the provision of solar-powered borehole in each of the 20 council areas, as well as 450 normal boreholes within the three senatorial districts of Bauchi state.
Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim said in the statement that the state government has since its inception in May, 2015 doing everything possible despite the lean financial resources at its disposal to take democracy dividends to the door-steps of the common man.
