COVID-19 Lockdown: Buhari Orders Finance Ministry To Pay Salaries

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to pay March salaries following his movement restriction in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.

The President gave the directive while meeting the COVID-19 Impact Assessment Committee on Thursday to review the effect of the outbreak on the economy.

He urged the ministry to ensure that critical infrastructures are protected and as much as possible.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting in Abuja said the President further directed that measures be put in place to protect the poor during this lockdown.

The President had in March set up a special committee to immediately look into the effects of COVID 19 on the price of oil, with a view to reviewing the crude oil benchmark of the 2020 budget.

Members of the committee include the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele and the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari.