Niger State Government to Utilize Federal Government Signature Bonus for Local Governments to settle Liabilities.
By Yahaya Zakka Minna.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Niger State, Hamidu Jatabo, announced that the state government has received a signature bonus of 461 million naira recently released by the Federal Government for the 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
Rather than allocating the funds directly to the LGAs, the Niger State Government plans to use this financial support jointly to fund ongoing projects across the local government areas.
Jatabo explained this in an interview with the Nigeria daily post,saying that the urban renewal projects currently in progress are jointly funded by both state and local governments. Unfortunately, some local governments have not fulfilled their financial commitments, leading to the decision to allocate part of the funds to settle these outstanding liabilities.
Additionally, the funds will be used to address pension liabilities and other financial commitments.
Jatabo emphasized that the arrangement in Niger State differs from that of other states, which have opted to distribute the funds directly to their local governments without similar provisions.
