A former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu has accused current set of Nigerian
governors of squandering their states’ funds on personal luxury, saying it was the main
reason they cannot pay workers salaries in their respective states.
Speaking against the backdrop of the recent demand for more funds by the governors
to meet up with their statutory obligations, Kalu said that the demand was unnecessary,
revealing that the States already have sufficient funds to function optimally.
He hinted that the governors have the penchant of drawing a whooping sum of N35
million as traveling allowance, saying that unless they stopped tampering with the
security vote for personal use, the states wouldn’t see development. Kalu who spoke to
State House Correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinabjo
at the presidential villa, Abuja on Friday however gave exceptions of some governors
whom he said were fixing their states.
He said: “I think most of these governors are doing very well and some of them also
are living in the euphoria of the office.You can see most of them who are very active, I
don’t need to count them for you. “The issue of crying for fund, honestly, in my opinion,
these governors have enough fund to work for their people because if you check, the
money drawn as security vote is excessive.
They should stop that. “Unless they stop drawing on security vote they will not have
enough fund to work with and most of them are living in absolute luxury, which is not
their money that they worked out for. So it is impossible to continue living in this
manner. “Most of the governors are even living in Abuja now, they don’t even live in their
states, honestly.
If you look at the books very well, in each trip they make, they will take travel allowance
of N35 million, which is un-heard of.” “What are you going to do with that. So, how are
we going to progress. Not all the governors. I have gone through Rivers, I see that
Rivers is hitting the ground. I have gone through Adamawa and I see Adamawa is
hitting the ground.
“I have gone through few more states, they are hitting the ground, they are working. I
don’t speak with sentiments. I don’t speak for anybody. You can see those who are
working and those who are not working. Let them sit down and do the job they are
elected for.” The former governor also added that the private sector had a role to play
in national development if the government could create an enabling environment for
them. “Well, the private sector will also need government guarantees and access to
credit.”
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