Kogi-based human rights activist and Director, Centre For Human Right and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Comrade Idris Miliki has challenged Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to come out and tell the world how he spent the N10billion collected on behalf of local governments in the state from the Federal Government.
Miliki, in a chat with newsmen on Thursday, accused the governor of squandering the money he collected from the Federal Government in April this year.
He expressed dissatisfaction in the failure of the state government to conduct of local government elections. He noted that the current administration of local government in Kogi State is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.
The rights activist faulted the position of the State House of Assembly on the extension of the tenure of local government administrators, saying “the world is watching all the illegalities perpetuated by Governor Bello’s administration.
“We have a government that has been in power for 20 months, yet they don’t have timetable to conduct local government election. The government is busy saying they don’t have money, but yet they collected N10billion on behalf of local governments. What did they use the money for? Where are the Councillors to make bye laws for local government to generate revenue?
“Since they collected N10billion on behalf of local government, why can’t the current administration use part of the money to conduct local government election? Sincerely, there is something beyond the eyes that we don’t know which is going on in Kogi State.
“The State Assembly approved N450 million for State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to conduct local government election in 2017. This same lawmakers extended, illegally, the tenure of local government Administrators. Money is coming and nobody is asking questions.
“We have an illegal ministry of local government that is busy sharing money all in the name of joint account. We have a government aide, that is never elected, but allocates money to other tiers of government. This is condemnable. What kind of government are we running in Kogi State that are doing things outside the law? Governor Bello must give account for all these misappropriation going on in his government. He cannot operate outside the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Miliki lamented.
He charged the Kogi State House of Assembly to be up and doing in their oversight functions, adding that most projects captured in 2017 budget are still hanging.
