This is more like an all APC affair... What has happened to FG’s compensation on account of Bakassi? … Cross Riverians ask Imoke By Peter Ibah Sen. Liyel Imoke The Federal Government has approved a lump sum of N15 billion to Cross River to ameliorate its loss of revenue that used to accrue to it from environmental degradation as a result of the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered in 2012 that led to the loss of 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom, The Eagle can authoritatively report. Of this amount, N6 billion has been paid to the state on the directives of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission since June, 2013, The Eagle investigations reveal. The state government had made a presentation to the commission where it highlighted its critical financial situation following the stoppage of compensation from environmental degradation hitherto paid to it. To this end, the Federal Government had directed the commission, through the vice president, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, to appropriately compensate the state, using its powers under Section 5(7) of the Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account) Act, Cap A. 15. LFN, 2014. The commission had, in a letter dated April 3, 2014, stated that the Federal Government approved payment of a monthly augmentation of N500 million from the stabilization fund for two years at the first instance to the state government, while the commission was to design appropriate monitoring mechanisms on the utilization of the funds. An additional N400 million was to be paid to the state as its monthly augmentation, through the commission as directed by its chairman, Engr. Elias Mbam. Consequently, and in line with the decision of the commission, it became necessary to carry out an assessment of the utilization of the funds so far released. The Eagle gathered that the commission embarked on the said exercise, led by Sen. Chris Adighijie and secretariat staff of the Indices and Disbursement Committee from April 27 to May 2, 2014. Between June 2013 to date, the receipt of these funds have been kept as a top secret transaction, with only a few persons privy to the receipt of additional funds by the state government on account of the loss of the oil wells. APC state legal adviser, Barr. Lazarus Undie, described the process of expending the funds without recourse to law as criminal, wondering why a state government will receive such amount of money and expend it without the House of Assembly backing it up with a law. According to him, “this singular act shows clearly to those who may wish to know that there is no House of Assembly in the state.” Undie, who described the legislators as “rubber stamps” to the governor, said he did not expect anything less than what they have done. Chapter chairman of APC in Bakassi, Mr. Cyril Ene, expressed displeasure that those who were displaced as a result of the ceding of the area have been traded off with billions of Naira without their benefiting from it. “As I speak to you, there are no boreholes, no access roads and health facilities available to the displaced people of Bakassi, except relief materials which come to us once a while,” he added. Ene queried: “We have had the 2014 budget since the compensation was approved and this was not captured. This shows you the kind of leadership and government that we have in the state.”He, therefore, called on the state government to, as a matter of priority, explain to the people of the state what government had done with the funds so far released since June 2013. The chapter chairman of APC in Odukpani, Hon. Bassey Okon, in his reaction said “by spending these funds without authorization by a law enacted by the Cross River House of Assembly shows the level of insensitivity of the present administration towards its citizenry.” Okon called on the people of Bakassi and the entire state to pray that the tenure of this administration should terminate fast so that Cross Riverians will be in a position to select leaders that will have them at heart. He said the legislators are only concerned with what comes to them as individuals and do not bother about what will bring development to the state. All efforts to get a reaction from the state commissioner for finance, Mr. Takis Caiafas, on the true position of the funds, proved abortive as he was said to have travelled out of the state on official duties. The Speaker, Cross River House of Assembly, Hon. Larry Odey, could not be reached either for comments on the issue.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 13:44:01 +0000
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