This information was made known by the Chief Press Secretary to Kogi state governor, Mrs Petra Akinti Onyegbule during a WhatsApp chat on Kogi State in Focus. This is happening against the backdrop of the controversies generated by the budget of 350 million naira appropriated and approved by Kogi State House Of Assembly during their sitting on Monday last week. It was also rumoured that the Governor had tipped the docile legislators in the sum of N2 million each, the allegation the law makers are yet to deny.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bello argued that the sum of N350 million budgeted for office of Governor Yahaya Bello’s wife was meant to offset tours of the state
Although the explanation provided by the CPS was not clear, Mrs Onyegbule however justified her claim as a directives from the wife of the President to explore social safety nets to assist the needy and vulnerable in the society. This is notwithstanding the unconstitutional means to source for funds.
According to Mrs. Onyegbule, the budgetary provision was legalized by the state government by the virtue of the budget approval by the house.
You would recall that Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello after his inauguration in January 2016, declared the same office of the First Lady as nullity. This may be connected to the controversies trailing the seat in Kogi state as a result of his multiple wives. However, the decision was later reverted as the other wives were able to settle for Rasheedat Bello.
It may interest you to know that the previous Governors have no budgetary provision listed in the state budget for such unconstitutional role. But the office outsourced her finance and ran a robust NGOs. In the past unlike now, the Governors wives engage in sourcing for funds for their office activities from multinationals donors, agencies, corporate organisations and individuals.
The CPS justified the appropriation as needful as other states of the federation have followed soothe in making such humongous sum available in their respective budgets.
It however behoves on the constituted authorities, anti graft agencies and other relevant bodies to investigate the veracity of the decisions of the state governors to engage in such illegality which is inimical to the constitutional provisions.
We must rise against this impunity and day light stealing by an intruder and her collaborator Alhaji Yahaya Bello who has become her stooge.
– Austin Usman Okai is National Coordinator, PDPNYF
