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State governors may not be able to pay their workers from the Paris Club refund before Christmas due to a legal suit instituted against them by a consultant.
According to NAN, a consultant to the Paris Club refund has reportedly dragged the 36 state governors to court for allegedly reneging on the payment of 5 per cent consultancy fees due to him for services rendered in relation to the sharing of the fund.
The news agency quotes a Presidency source as saying that the case has been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The suit may stall further withdrawals from the fund by the governors.
The source said efforts had reached the final stages for release of the balance of 50 per cent Paris Club refunds to states to pay workers salaries all over the country before the Christmas and New Year festivities.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari last month directed the CBN, Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office to expedite action on the release of the fund to all state governors whom he urged to utilise the funds to settle unpaid salaries owed workers before Christmas.
The payment began in December 2016 with the release of about N522.74 billion to all 36 states in the first tranche of the Paris Club refund.
The Federal Government later in July 2017 released N243.8 billion as second tranche.
The funds were released following protests by states against over deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002.