An ex-Commissioner of Finance during the administration of former governor Abubakar Audu, Honourable Joseph Molemodile has described the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) case involving Audu as being politically-motivated to tarnish and rubbish Audu’s glowing reputation.
Molemodile opened up on government finances between 1999 and 2003 in Abuja recently while addressing a youth group, Audu Youth Vanguard, who came to endorse Prince Audu as their preferred candidate for the Kogi state governorship election slated for November this year.
The former finance chief said he never ceased to be amazed whenever he read on the pages of newspapers that the former governor was arraigned on allegation bothering on financial misappropriation by EFCC when he held sway as governor of Kogi state. He said if people collate and take statistics of all the monies that was allocated to that administration compared to the success and achievement of that government, one would not hesitate to conclude that prince Abubakar Audu’s case with the anti-graft agency was politically motivated to tarnish his image.
According to Hon Molemodile, within the first six months of the Audu administration, allocations received by Kogi state government ranged from One hundred and fifty million naira and two hundred and fifty million naira as against five hundred million naira monthly as being speculated. Adding that in spite of the meager fund the administration had to contend with, Prince Abubakar Audu was rated as the best performing governor in Nigeria by the National Media Tour led by Professor Jerry Gana, the then Minister for Information under the PDP led Federal Government.
He maintained that as the finance commissioner under Audu he stand a better chance to give facts and figures concerning the finances of that administration.
Molemodile recalled that the Audu administration inherited salary arrears of six months and debts owed several contractors by the military administrations that preceded the Audu regime that were fully cleared by Audu.
He said it is important to correct the impression and mis-information to avoid the under-estimation of Prince Abubakar Audu’s level of prudency and managerial prowess. He remarked that the successes recorded by the Audu administration was as a result of Audu’s transparency, prudency, accountability and judicious use of the state resources, a feat that is currently lacking in the state. According to Molemodile, Kogi state has witnessed fiscal recklessness, looting of the state treasury, and under-development of high magnitude since 2003.
