The manner in which over N140 billion sent to 21 local government areas of Anambra state from the federal account from 1999 till date was expended has continued to generate ripples in the state and beyond. This whopping sum came into the councils during the administrations of Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Dr. Chris Ngige, Dr. Andy Uba and incumbent Mr. Peter Obi as governors of the state. Mrs. Virginia Etiaba, deputy governor of the state, also, briefly served as acting governor when Obi was removed from office through impeachment by the state legislature.
Following outcries in some quarters concerning alleged misappropriation of the funds, the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), a Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria, calls on Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government to launch a full scale inquiry into the expenditure of the allocations. The group alleges that about N50 billion of the total sum had been lodged into private coffers in the last nine years.
In particular, Alloysius Attah, chairman of CLO, Anambra state chapter, while making the allegations, says: "From our findings through the published statement of disbursement by Federal Ministry of Finance, between June and December 2007 only, the 21 local governments in the state got over N10 billion from the federation account. We call on the government of Anambra State to render account of over N140 billion believed to have accrued into the account of the 21 local governments between June 1999 and December 2008”.
Attah urges Peter Obi government to, meanwhile, as a matter of urgency, conduct elections into the councils and various markets in the state. Attah contends that there are suspicions that the delay in the conduct of the council polls has been deliberate for Obi government to continue to enjoy the councils’ financial allocations to the detriment of the citizenry of the state.
The rights group, further, laments the non-conduct of local government elections in Anambra state, maintaining that it is a slap on the constitution of Nigeria.
"According to Section 8 of the 1999 constitution, states are under obligation to ensure the existence of local governments. Since the short-lived local government structure under former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju (between 1999 to 2002), local governments in this state have been under the caretaker arrangement. We suspect a grand design by successive administrations to make local governments here mere appendages to the state government so as to siphon money through that way", Attah argues.
KlinReports recalls that Anambra state House of Assembly had, in a unanimous resolution recently, directed the state government to release funds for the conduct of local government poll in the state, noting that the level of infrastructure decay at the council level has been very alarming. The Assembly, also, directed the state’s Independent Electoral Commission to immediately conduct the election once funds are made available to it.
While the commission chairman, Chief Cornel Umeh, promises to conduct elections into the councils on the release of funds, Valentine Obienyem and Maja Umeh, Governor Obi’s media assistant and political adviser respectively insist that the directive is not biding on government. Obienyem and Umeh contend that the security situation in the state and civil unrest that trailed a similar council election in Plateau state might repeat itself if the election is conducted immediately in the state.
KlinReports, however, reached out to some of the former Governors, including Mbadinuju, Uba and Obi respectively for their reactions to CLO’s allegation of misappropriation of the state’s council funds. Ex-Governors Mbadinuju, Obi and Uba, through their media aides, of course, waved the council funds misappropriation accusation aside as a blatant lie.
Thus Obi’s government, through Mike Udah, Chief Press Secretary, had this to say in defense: “Governor Obi has not misappropriated a dime. He is not corrupt. His prudence in spending and fiscal discipline is part of the reason the European Union (EU) and other international organizations have continued to work with him”.
On his own part, former Governor Andy Uba, who spent only sixteen days in office, through Chuks Akunna, his media adviser, chided CLO over the allegation, maintaining that no state in Nigeria is known to have received close to the talked about N140 billion apart from Rivers state.
“Pray, how could Andy have whacked such non-existent money in two weeks? Haba!” Akunna retorted.
But denying the allegation, Mbadinuju wondered how such an idle talk would be coming up against his administration eleven years after he vacated office.
“I have been investigated for fraud and financial irregularities and was absolved”, Mbadinuju blurted.
Mbadinuju, in particular, was livid with KlinReports concerning our interest in this story, saying: “So this is your way of wishing your brothers a good new year with this rubbish allegation. If I committed offence since 1999 you allowed eleven years before asking of it. Why are you fronting for CLO or you want to repeat what you people did to me over Igwes’ murder because my lawyers have not yet served you with libel papers. I have been denied appointments because of your publishing false petitions against me and you are at it again. Are Igbo governors the only ones in this country? Why do you hate yourselves so much? Please don’t let me be angry with you”.
Odera added: “If you people don’t want me to rest this year God will set up a stumbling block for you”.
However, KlinReports efforts to get in touch with the duo of Ngige and Etiaba were fruitless.
Editor’s Note: We’ll like to assure His Excellency, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju (Odera), that we have a lot of respect for him, and do not hold him in contempt as he tends to believe. We recall that this is the second time Odera is berating us over stories on him. As he rightly pointed out, he was angry with KlinReports’ sustained interest in the dastard murder, in September 0f 2002, of the Igwes. This couple (both lawyers) was assassinated while Mbadinuju was governor under very suspicious circumstances. And KlinReports has evidently been in the vanguard of the crusade for justice in their case.
Let us, once more, assure the former governor that we have no ill-feelings, neither are we being sponsored by anybody or group against him. We are in this internet publishing to excite issues for the advancement of our society, and Mbadinuju must excuse us that. It is advisable that Mbadinuju should keep an open mind with us in KlinReports.com, for neither are we politicians nor indigenes of Anambra state, as to be engaged in supremacy battle with him.
If Mbadinuju was denied any political appointment, we hasten to add that we were not part of the reason. Publishing petitions authored by persons well known to Mbadinuju himself would not have robbed him of any political post because we were not writing Bible. It has to be noted that in spite of seemingly sponsored negative reports against former Governors Sam Egwu and Achike Udenwa of Ebonyi and Imo states respectively, Yar’Adua’s government still went ahead to give them ministerial appointments. Even at that, appropriate agencies ought to have investigated the veracity of our publications or otherwise before government took a decision on the matter. Were Odera innocent of the charges as contained in our reports, why wasn’t he given a clean bill by appropriate agencies, like the State Security Service (SSS), whose duty it is to give security reports on prospective political appointees?
Mbadinuju threatened legal actions against KlinReports. But this threat is neither here nor there, for that will not stop us from fearlessly discharging our social responsibility to our people, who have been under the jackboots of bourgeoisie welfarists like Mbadinuju for donkey years. We are sure we have not committed any form of libel, and or defamation against former Governor Mbadinuju.
For now, KlinReports wishes our dear Odera Longer life, prosperity and good health this year of our LORD, 2009.
Editor.
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