Minister: States to Begin Repayment of Budget Support Facility July Ending

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has stated that the repayment of federal government's support facility by the states will begin by the end of July.

This is just as the National Executive Council (NEC) has canvassed strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines as Nigerians celebrate Sallah next week.

Ahmed, who briefed NEC yesterday at its monthly virtual meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said with the agreement reached on the Support Facility issue with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which provided the bridge financing facility to the states, deductions from state governments would commence from this month.

Ahmed also gave the council an update on the underlisted accounts as follows: Excess Crude Balance as at July 13, 2021 was $60,852,533.19; stabilisation account balance as at July 13, 2021 was N26,346,419,015.43; while development of natural resources account balance as at July 13, 2021, was N23,573,977,607.78.

On the forthcoming Sallah festivities, the NEC called for a strict adherence to the COVID-19 response guidelines across the country, after receiving a regular state performance report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

According to the report, the COVID-19 positivity rate has gone up in the country just as three cases of the Delta variant has now been detected.

The council received the state performance report on COVID-19 from the DirectorGeneral of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who stated that the Delta variant is a new variant identified in 103 countries and is 60 per cent more transmissible than the highly infectious Alpha variant, which was previously identified.

He said despite the low number of cases in the country, the positivity rate had gone up with Lagos State having a larger burden of between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of cases in the country.

The state has also recorded an increase in number of cases in the last 10 weeks.

The NCDC therefore urged the council to ensure the sustenance of effective COVID-19 response nationwide, while improving public health awareness, adherence to public health and social measures.

The agency also called for the re-activation and sustained functioning of isolation centres as proactive preparatory measures towards tackling a possible third wave.