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| Kemi Adeosun |
The minister of Finance who has been having a tough time with protesting staff of her ministry has reiterated her stance on the denial of special bonuses for the workers.
While speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who has continuously preached fiscal discipline has revealed that when she made the promise to the Nigerian people to enshrine fiscal responsibility in government dealings, she meant it.
We had reported it here two days ago that placard-wielding federal workers were pictured protesting as they reportedly locked the main gate of the Ministry of Finance and prevented the minister from entering her office.
Another report revealed that the federal civil servants were asking President Muhammadu Buhari for the removal of the minister over an “unjust N1.2 billion allowance” she cancelled from the last administration.
Speaking on the development, the minister said: “When I said at the start of my tenure that I would restore fiscal responsibility to our economy, it was no idle promise. The money we spend is not our money, it belongs to the Nigerian people.
“We need to justify every naira and at a time when all Nigerians are suffering the consequences of the financial crisis inherited from previous administrations, we simply cannot afford to pay out special bonuses to civil servants. Those days are gone,” Adeosun said.
The minister said all salaries and lawful allowances are paid on time and in full, emphasising that the overtime allowance sought by some staff is non-statutory, adding that the overtime allowance was carried over from the immediate past administration and cannot continue at such austere time.
“The sum of N1.2 billion computed by the staff union for payment could not have been budgeted for in 2016 in the first place, not only because of the paucity of funds, but also the fact that the SOT allowance was not part of the remuneration in the Federal Public Service,” she said.
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