President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern over unpaid salaries and allowances by state governments.

Receiving a group of governors led by Abdul’Aziz Yari, chairman of the Nigerian governors’ forum (NGF), at the presidential villa in Abuja on Tuesday, Buhari wondered the effect of interventions by the federal government.

He said the plight of workers need urgent attention as many could barely survive.

“How can anyone go to bed and sleep soundly when workers have not been paid their salaries for months,” he said.

“I actually wonder how the workers feed their families, pay their rents and even pay school fees for their children.”

The president told the governors that the challenge in payment of salaries in states had taken a toll on the people.

He said the federal government and state executives would need to work closely to ameliorate the situation of workers across the country.

He said he had instructed all government agencies to comply with the treasury single account (TSA) in order to ensure more transparency and prudence in accounting for the revenues of the government and the sharing of entitlements with states.

Defending his colleagues, Yari said the various interventions by the federal government were judiciously utilised by the states., stressing that the governors inherited backlog of unpaid salaries and huge debts portfolios on assumption of office.

He said governors inherited backlog of unpaid salaries and huge debts portfolios on assumption of office.

Governors of Ondo, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kwara, Akwa Ibom and the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State were part of the visit to the president.