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 Daily
Independent Online.
* Monday,June 14, 2004.
Rep challenges Kalu to account for state funds
By Ikechukwu Amaechi, Deputy Editor (Politics) and
Habib Aruna
Assistant Political Editor
Fresh from
his recent bickering with the Acting Chairman of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Anthony Anenih, Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia
has been challenged by a member of the House of Representatives to give
account of all federal allocations to the state since 1999.
While throwing the challenge,
Mr. Chinonyerem Macebuh, a two-time member of the House of Representatives,
said the governor has not done much to show the public that he is prudent
with the management of the funds allocated to the state by the Federal
Government.
“I am talking in terms of
management. If you have a governor who just takes public funds, then what
do you make of such a person?” Macebuh asked.
He said he was not disputing
the fact that the governor was not a poor man before he assumed the
office, but added that since becoming the governor, his acquisition of
wealth has been on the rise.
Macebuh added: “Since he has
been in government, he is busy acquiring wealth, buying ships, buying
aircraft and setting up newspaper houses. That is madness. It is only in
this country that you see such things. A sitting governor doing all
these? While his private newspapers are thriving, at the same time, the
state-owned one has crashed. He is buying banks, in fact he is involved
in everything. How rich was he before 1999?”
The federal lawmaker
disclosed that Ukwa West is the only local government where oil is
drilled in Abia State, adding that despite the 13 per cent derivation
fund given to the state, the local government has not benefited
substantially from its resources.
“Governor Kalu has collected
N7 billion since 1999 on derivation and yet there is no water project
anywhere in Ukwa land which Orji’s government executed. You will only get
poorly constructed roads which he will start but never finishes”, he
stressed.
Macebuh lamented that the
governor has been able to go on with what he described as his
maladministration because of lack of effective opposition both within the
PDP and other parties in the state. He said given the nature of Nigerian
politics, opposition has been inactive and willingly queuing behind the
governor.
On Kalu’s allegation that
Anenih plotted to assasinate him, he wondered why somebody who created such havoc
in the party would just be
written a letter asking him to apologise, adding that that is what is
causing the problem in the system.
“The whole system is fouled
up. I don’t know why Orji will create that level of embarrassment and
disruption and create such anxiety in the society and malign people in
that way and then you will just write him a letter asking him to
apologise”, Macebuh fumed.
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