WHY DELEGATES HAVE NOT RECEIVED ALLOWANCES IN 4 WEEKS – SECRETARIAT

The National Conference secretariat has cleared the air over the non-payment of allowances due to delegates at the conference for the past four weeks now. Recall that delegates have been receiving a biweekly allowances payment totaling about N1.4million per delegate since the inception of the conference.
However, since the last two weeks when the hope of the delegates was dashed, there have been grumbling by some of them who laments the non-payment of their allowances. The development has also led to various allegations over the management of funds by the secretariat of the confab.
Consequently, the secretariat of the National Conference yesterday said it is not responsible for the delay in the payment of delegates’ allowances. It also added that it does not operate any bank account where money is being kept as alleged neither does any money is being kept in a personal bank account of any of its officers.
The conference assistant secretariat, media and communications, James Akpandem, in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP last night, confirmed non-payment of allowances to delegates but was quick to add that efforts were being made to remedy the situation. He added that both delegates and all secretariat staff have not been paid for the period in question, citing administrative bottlenecks outside the conference.
According to the federal government budget breakdown for the conference, the conferees are entitled to feeding, transportation, accommodation allowances, among others which they receive biweekly and they are now being owed two tranches of allowance spanning four weeks.
“If they are not paid, they know where to go and lodge their complaints, not to go and tell the press. And if they lodge their complaints in a proper place, they will be told why.
“Efforts are being made by the secretariat to ensure that the situation is remedied. We are also affected, I pays my hotel bills from my pocket. So it is not delegates alone but that is not to say that it is something that should happened, it is a situation we found ourselves but it has nothing absolutely to do with the secretariat. If we receive money today, we will pay,” Akpandem said.
The conference spokesman also dispelled rumours that a banker son of a high-ranking officer of the conference is keeping the confab funds in the bank where he works, reiterating that the conference secretariat does not operate any bank account.
Meanwhile, the delegates will reconvene this morning after the weekend break to continue with the consideration of the Standing Committee reports started last week Monday and the report of the Committee of Religion is slated for debate today.
Source: Leadership