Kwara State has lost about N10billion since August last year due to reduction from statutory allocation, even as the state Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Nurudeen Banu accused the Federal Government of insensitivity to the plight of workers.

The commissioner made this known while addressing newsmen in Ilorin, weekend.

He said that shortfall in the allocation has been causing hardship for civil servants and pensioners across the country due to inability to comply with the budgetary expenditure.

Banu lamented that the Kwara State Government had a shortfall of over N6 billion; with the 16 local governments in the state recording over N4 billion, while the federation account has recorded over N800 billion shortfall in the last seven months, effective from August 2013, calling on the Federal Government to put all machinery in motion to stop oil theft and vandalisation of pipelines and oil facilities.

According to Banu, the implication of not receiving full allocation in line with the budget is that most states could not pay salaries and meet other financial obligations.
He assured that Kwara State would continue to make concerted efforts to ensure prompt payment of workers' salaries and other commitments.

He advised the opposition to stop playing politics with workers welfare. "Let them call on the Federal Government to do the necessary thing. This problem is affecting all the 36 states of the federation. Are we going to continue with this hardship?  The Federal Government must find a lasting solution to this problem in order to ensure prompt payment of civil servants salaries and other delivery of developmental projects across the state for the benefit of the people".

The commissioner said that the Federal Government and Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) have been identifying oil theft and pipeline vandalisation as bane of shortfall, saying 'it is not the duty of the state to monitor pipelines and prevent oil theft. The Federal Government should rise up against this challenge since they have all the resource to combat this menace'.

"It is worrisome that oil theft has now become a norm, thereby affecting people's welfare and hinders economic development. I believe no responsible government should tolerate this anomaly", he stated
He said that in spite of the rise in oil price against the budget benchmark, state and local governments "are still recording drastic reduction in their monthly statutory allocation. The Shortfall is above 30 percent, while oil price is still above oil budget benchmark.

He remarked that the shortfall and the policy of not augmenting the allocation "is making the mockery of budget process .The federal Government must urgently address the problem otherwise, it will be difficult to implement the budget."