The Federal Ministry of Finance said the Federal Government was not responsible for the failure of state governments to pay workers’ salaries.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, spokesman to the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in Abuja on Wednesday.
“Regarding difficulties in salary payment, certain governors are trying to blame the federal government for their predicaments.
“This is wrong. They had been told through the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee to prioritize salaries, they chose not to do so, hence the backlog that some states are experiencing”, it said.
The statement also added that the 50% drop in revenues simply meant that salaries should be prioritized and that the federal government should not be blamed for mistakes that could have been avoided but made at state level.
It added that it was wrong to allege that federal workers were being owed salaries.
“This is incorrect. Staff salaries at the federal level are up to date; workers have received their April salaries”, it added.