Awulu Attah wrote: As KGSG and the Kogi Elders Forum bickers over the formers decision to access funds from the bond market, all concerned Kogites must stand up for or against the positions being canvassed by both parties and ensure that the right and best thing is done for our dear state. I give a qualified support to KGSGs decision to borrow from the bond market as that has become a source of access to cheap ...funds for developmental projects world all over. However, I have my fears on the management of the N20B to be so accessed because management of states resources under Gov Wadas watch has been transparently opaque like that of his predecessor and godfather and on that count I am in support of the Elders forum stand against the arrangement. A government that spends well about 78% of the accruals to the state on recurrent expenditure on personnel cost which is accentuated by the fact that the governor has a bloated and unproductive retinue of Assistants, the states IGR is very poor contributing a miserable 6% of the states total earnings. A run down of the items for which the N20B is to be deployed lends credence to the fears been expressed by the Elders Forum as some of them would definitely be bloated and frittered away like the monthly accruals and other loans taken from Commercial Banks notably Zenith Bank Plc. 1. Water scheme Development - N5.1B - Okay in my opinion. 2.Asphalt overlay of New Market/Murtala Mohd/Barracks/Kabba junction (28 Kms). N 4.6B - suspect in my view,Ibro has stolen his share using same project. 3.Construction of Otokiti - Ganaja,Lkj multi - lane carriage way - N 2.9B - Okay but the value should be scaled down by at least 20%. 4. Construction of 500 units of Housing units - N 1.6 B - Bad judgement,FMBN could have been approached for funding from the NHF. 5. Hospital construction and equipment - N 2.9B - How equipped and well managed are the existing ones?. 6. Kogi Geographical Information System Phase 2 - N 500M - fantastic,it should be able to contribute to the repayment of the bond. 7. Development of Modern Motor Park - N 500M - A photocopy of Ibros International Market ,slush fund. 8. Development of Kogi House in the FCT - N100- renovation of the existing one or what? Suspect. Pertinent questions that should agitate the minds of Kogites are; Can Kogi State absorb the proposed monthly deduction of N456M from its statutoriy allocations of about N3.4B of for the next 12 months not forgetting that about N 3.1B is spent on salaries and allowances? What guarantee have we that the proceeds of the bond would not be padded? The governors media managers in their response to the elders patriotic cry was predictably empty,arrogantly incompetent and obdurately deficient in common sense which was not common to it in this context,it squandered an opportunity to educate and explain to Kogites what necessitated the state governments decision,it rather went after the container and lazily side stepping the issues raised by these eminent Kogites(contents). Jacob Edi advertised how badly brought up he is by resorting to insulting these distinguished elders,I leave him with the words of Dr.Nnamdi Azikiwe to a disrespectful Dr.Ukpabi Asika no condition is permanent he would some suffer from OFS(Out of Office Syndrome) The deal is a fait acompli with the State House of Assembly having given its seal of approval,what is not fait acompli is the right of Kogites to demand accountability and monitor the specific projects tied to the proceeds of the bond,thank God for the FOI law. Not long ago teachers of Public Primary schools embarked on a strike that lasted for 6 months with the pupils losing the important 3rd term and a part of the 1st term,there was not as much a whimper of protest from the Kogi Elders Forum and I ask why? Is it because their kids and grand children are in private schools and were not directly affected or because money was not involved. The elders should widen the scope of their intervention and change their tactics to earn the trust and respect of Kogites.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:35:35 +0000
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