President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun and Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele to act appropriately and with dispatch in releasing the second tranche of the London-Paris Club refunds to the states in order to ease their financial hardships.

It came as he said he barred governors from visiting him during his ill health in the UK because he didn’t want government to move to London.

“I wanted it to remain here and I am glad it did,” he said.

The announcement to release the next tranche of the London-Paris Club refunds came at the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and attended by state governors.

President Buhari, however, urged the governors to use the refunds for the settlement of unpaid salaries and pension liabilities of their workers.

“I will not rest until I address those issues that affect our people. One of these basic things is the issue of salaries. It is most important that workers are able to feed their families, pay rent and school fees, then other things can follow,” Buhari said.

Buhari, who went round the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa to shake hand with the governors one after the other, commended the unity of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).