Gombe State Govt spent N33bn on debt servicing in 4 years – Report

The Gombe State Government has paid about N33 billion from the N100 billion debt inherited from the administration of former governor Ibrahim Dankwambo.

The Chairman of the Gombe State Transition Management Committee, Dr. Ibrahim Daudu, made this known while submitting the 2023 transition report to Gov. Inuwa Yahaya on Monday.

Daudu said that Gov. Yahaya also paid N6 billion to settle a four-year backlog of gratuities owed to retirees from 2014 to 2017.

According to him, the payment to retirees is the largest payment of gratuity made by any government in Gombe State.

“During the course of our work, we were able to determine that out of over N100 billion in debt inherited from the previous administration, your administration has paid approximately N33 billion,” he said.

The chairman also stated that the state government within the period was able to attract N26 billion as a result of its prudent public financial management through the implementation of the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability programme.

He said that in view of the state’s prudent resource management, Gombe State ranked as the fourth most successful state in public financial management in the country.

While commending Yahaya for effectively managing the finances of the state in spite of the huge economic challenges caused by COVID-19 and the economic recession, the Daudu-led committee urged the government to boost the state’s internally generated revenue going forward.

The 11-member committee, which was inaugurated on May 26, further advised the state government to reform the civil service within the next four years while prioritising job creation.

Supreme News reports that the major responsibilities assigned to the committee were to develop a blueprint for consolidating the achievements made during Yahaya’s first administration.

Also, to incorporate lessons learned, identify priorities, policies, and programmes for the new administration.