We Spend N165bn On Salaries, Allowances Monthly – FG

The Federal Government says it spends N165 billion on salaries and allowances every month.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, at a joint meeting with the security chiefs of paramilitary agencies under the Ministry of Interior on continuous audit and migration from manual to automated payment system.

The minister, who lamented the continuous leakages and wastages that characterized Federal Government’s payment system, said that the government can no longer afford such a huge amount of money which is characterized by continuous leakages and wastages in the prevailing circumstances.

Adeosun, said that the meeting was a continuation of audit meeting that started last week, aimed at bring all paramilitary agency under the Ministry of Interior into the automated payment system, as it concerns salaries and allowances.

According to her, the move was in line with the Presidential directive that everybody working under the Federal Government should be enrolled into the automated pay roll system by the end of the year.

“Both teams are working very hard on how to meet the deadline. This meeting is really on how to discuss the modalities and specifically, the number of allowances (non-credit allowances).

“We have to make sure that those allowances are paid directly to those concerned and the best way to do that is by automating the pay roll system, which is linked to BVN, so that every payment will be go to individuals specifically, rather than withdrawing them.”