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Alleged N30bn disbursement: Explain details to Nigerians – Peter Obi tells FG
Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, has asked the Federal Government to reveal details of the alleged disbursement of N30 billion each to the 36 state governors to ameliorate inflation and high cost of food items.
This is even as he said that the government must stop the unproductive habit of throwing scarce and borrowed money at immediate problems, and consumption.
Obi’s demand followed the claim by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, that an “unverified report” showed that state governors received N30 billion each from the federation account to alleviate the economic hardship and ravaging hunger in their respective domains.
However, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State dismissed the report, saying there was no truth in the claim by Akpabio that states of the federation got an additional N30 billion each outside of their statutory revenue allocations.
Obi, in a statement on his X handle on Friday, said the details of the disbursement should be explained for the interest of good governance and transparency.
According to him, it would enable the masses, for whom the support is meant, to follow through and ensure that it is utilized appropriately to their benefit.
He further appealed to the state governments to ensure that the resources are genuinely and transparently invested in productive ventures to alleviate the present hardship.
“Recently, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, announced that a staggering financial support of N1.1 trillion, amounting to a sum of N30 billion each was doled out to the state governors to help ameliorate the present hardship in the country.
“While the Federal Government is to be commended for offering such a huge support, considering the difficult times people are going through, it is pertinent, for the interest of good governance and transparency, that the details of the disbursement of such support be explained further, so that the public, the masses for whom the support is meant, can follow through and ensure that it is utilized appropriately to the benefit of the people.
“While waiting for such details, I appeal that concerted efforts should be made to ensure that the resources are genuinely and transparently invested in productive ventures to alleviate present hardship and help the future growth of the country,” he wrote.
According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”
The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.
He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.
The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.
“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.
“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
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