The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has called on Governor Bassey Otu to account for the N251 billion the state has received in the past 14 months.
According to a statement from Mr Mike Ojisi, PDP Publicity Secretary in the state on Friday (9th August), the Governor Otu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government is not being transparent in the management of the state’s resources.
According to The Beagle News, PDP alleged that while N150 billion have been collected from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), N70 billion have been collected as NG-CARES, as well as palliative and intervention funds.
“Governor Otu, in line with his much-touted ‘People’s First’ mantra, would have the needed decency and humane disposition to manage resources and allocations accrued to the state optimally.
“It is, therefore, exasperating waking up daily to the kleptocratic, mindless and fraudulent schemes by the administration, aimed primarily at asphyxiating the State and enriching few of his and immediate family members, at the detriment of the good people of Cross River State.
“Despite receiving over N31 billion of NG-CARES between December 2023 and June 2024, Governor Otu has failed to account for the funds or provide tangible results.
“It is on record that Otu’s administration claims that 1,700 persons have benefited from the fund.
“Assuming without conceding that this is true, it therefore raises concern about the utilisation of the fund and how much was received by each of the beneficiaries,” the statement read in part.
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The statement by Ojisi further described the 2024 budget of the state as vague, adding that it will not ameliorate the plight of the people, “Rather than judiciously allocate these monies to programmes and projects that are people-oriented and can ameliorate the plight of the people; Governor Otu’s Budget for 2024 includes questionable allocations.
“Governor should at least, have the decency to live up to his own ‘People’s First’ mantra as the lack of transparency and accountability in his Government is humongously alarming.
“We call on Cross Riverians, Anti-graft Agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and stakeholders to beam their searchlight on the government and demand the true dividends of democracy.”
On local government funds, Ojisi decried the poor infrastructures and slow pace of governance at the grassroots even as the state got the sum of N5.63 billion for the July 2024 FAAC allocation for the 18 Local Government Areas in Cross River State.
“Assuming that the allocation is equitably divided, each LGA would receive about N312.777 million, which could significantly impact the development we are desperately yearning for in the State,” he stated.
Reacting to PDP’s statement, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, Commissioner for Information, told this newspaper that the opposition party should have been thorough in their findings before coming out to lay “baseless” allegations and advised the PDP to join the governor to develop the state.
According to Ekpang, Otu led administration has kept faith with the people by ensuring visible developmental projects across the 18 council areas of Cross River.
“It is only the blind that won’t see the good work Sen. Bassey Otu is doing, and the PDP should be mindful of the fact that this work takes money to execute.
“Otu has ensured transparency and accountability that the Executives Council Meeting deliberations are made public.
“The PDP must know that we have had enough distraction from them when they dragged us from the tribunal up to the Supreme Court.
“Rather than distracting us now, they should distract themselves by planning ahead of the 2027 poll,” Ekpang said.