Commissioner Clarifies Controversial N5bn Expenditure
Benue State Finance Commissioner, Dr. Christopher Obute, has explained the expenditure of N5billion which has generated controversy, listing specific projects on which the money was expended.
Obute gave the explanation during a press conference at the NUJ House Makurdi, while refuting a report in a weekly newspaper that Governor George Akume had expended the money on gifts in ten months.
He listed local and foreign trips by government officials, subventions to the state university, ecological projects, primary education, State House of Assembly and printing of security documents, Lobi Stars, and on-going projects attaching various sums to the projects among others as the subjects of the expenditure.
Obute recalled that during his press briefing on May 28 he had stated in his analysis of expenditure that government spent N5, 115,785,200.89 on " donations, financial assistance, utilities, official journeys, and other state matters"
" In the least, it is expected that a rational mind free from the grip of mischief should in the very least, being too lazy to investigate, divide the amount equally among the five items listed and this would mean that none could have consumed more that N 1 billion," he said.
According to the Commissioner, during the question and answer session during last May's briefing, further clarification was made on this particular item of expenditure, adding that he had said full details were available at his office for inspection anytime.
He said both in official and ordinary parlance the word 'donation' carries a much wider meaning than 'gifts' explaining that government donations are usually made towards community projects, those of NGO's, local government councils, and other agencies including the Nigeria Union of journalist.
Obute said there was mischief in trying to personalise the expenditure on the Governor, and the timing of the publication, three months after the press briefing indicating that the motives are dishonorable and the products of small minds who couched the report in language suggestive that the governor went to town distributing money.
He explained that financial assistance goes for education bills of indigent students, medical treatment within and outside the country, as well as repatriation of bodies of some indigenes of the state from abroad,
According to him official journeys relate to cost of all journeys made by public officials for official transactions, workshops, seminars and Christian and Moslem pilgrimages.
He said while he could not shy away from the fact that Akume has a generous disposition; he is a meticulous and prudent administrator.
Obute disclosed that already the Attorney General of the state has been instructed to request for a retraction of the story and an unreserved apology to the Governor.
|
