N300bn intervention for states ‘ready in weeks’

State governments will start accessing N250 billion to N300 billion intervention of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in a matter of weeks, Lalolu Akande, spokesman of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday.

Explaining that the assistance will come in three phases, he said: “Specifically, state governments will start benefiting from the special intervention fund of between N250bn to N300bn in a matter of weeks.

“Currently, planning meetings are being held between members of the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC and CBN, on the one hand, and also between CBN and commercial banks on the other hand, regarding details of the special intervention fund and the debt relief programme of the president for the states.

“Such meetings are reviewing loan profiles of the states, issues around restructuring of existing loans, including time span, and reconciling the figures.

“Already, it has been agreed that existing state loans be restructured for 20 years, and regarding the bond option, the rates to be applied would be market-based but with a cap to make it affordable. Within weeks from now, the states are expected to start benefiting from this two other parts of the presidential intervention.”

The statement identified the phases of the bailout as: “The sharing of about $2.1bn in fresh allocation between the states and the federal government. The money was sourced from recent LNG proceeds to the federation account, and its release okayed by the president.

“A Central Bank-packaged special intervention fund to the tune of about N250bn to N300bn that will offer financing to the states. This would be a soft loan available to states.

“A debt relief programme by the Central Bank of Nigeria and Debt Management Office, DMO, which will help states convert their commercial bank loans into bonds, and restructuring such loans by extending their life span thereby reducing the debt-servicing expenditures of the states.”

Akande also noted the role of the president in making sure that the relief package sees the light of the day despite the fact that the insolvency of the states started under the past government.

“None of the three parts of this intervention would have been possible without the creativity and approval of President Buhari. It should be noted that the backlog of the salaries in some of the states went back several months before the president took office,” he said.

“By extending the commercial loans of the states, the third part of the presidential intervention would therefore make available more funds to the state governments, which otherwise would have been removed at source by the banks.

“To be able to offer this option to the states, President Muhammadu Buhari brought the financial muscle of the federal government to bear on behalf of the states guaranteeing the elongation of the loans.

“Besides, the availability of the $2.1bn from LNG, which has now been shared to the states, was made possible because President Buhari set a new fiscal standard and tone that all monies generated should go to the federation accounts. Before that constitutional standard was upheld by the president, LNG dividends were going to other NNPC designated accounts.

“To date, the states have now drawn from the LNG taxes and dividends totalling $2.1bn, besides a second sharing from the federation account – that is the regular monthly allocations – a sum of over N518 bn last week.

“Finally, states have been advised during NEC meetings to take certain steps to avoid a similar financial crisis in the future.”

About 19 states in the country are owing workers salaries running into months.