PUNCH
Thirty-two states in Nigeria owed a total of N933.32bn to contractors and retirees in 2023, according to findings by The PUNCH.
The findings are based on an analysis of data from the 2024 State of States report by BudgIT, a Nigerian civic organisation that focuses on promoting transparency, accountability, and effective governance,
The 32 states with liabilities to contractors and retirees are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
The report revealed that these liabilities consist of N408.69bn in contractor arrears and N524.63bn in unpaid pensions and gratuities.
Notably, certain states like Bayelsa, Edo, and Kebbi had no reported contractor liabilities, while others such as Ogun and Ondo did not report any pension arrears.
The PUNCH observed that Delta State topped the list of contractor obligations, with liabilities amounting to N76.26bn.
This was far above Imo’s N43.47bn and Cross River’s N39.12bn, which ranked second and third, respectively.
Kano and Akwa Ibom followed closely with N37.04bn and N31.07bn, respectively, in contractor arrears.
In contrast, Jigawa and Yobe had the least obligations to contractors, with N98.19m and N2.79m owed, respectively.
Regarding pensions and gratuities, Benue State emerged as the state with the highest arrears, owing a staggering N74.3bn to retirees.
Oyo followed with N40.05bn, while Enugu, Bauchi, and Cross River States owed N34.46bn, N31.21bn, and N29.86bn, respectively.
