As the Yahaya Bello’s administration in Kogi State braces up for its 100 Days in office celebration this weekend, the Audu / Faleke Political Organisation has scored the government an overall low in development initiatives but high in fiscal indiscipline and recklessness.
In a statement signed on behalf of the group by its Director, Media and Publicity, Hon Duro Meseko, the group lamented that despite being in the saddle for 100 days, Kogi State is still reeling in poverty, want, misery, directionless-ness and ineptitude on the part of the Bello led government.
“Despite repeated warnings, the administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello has continued it’s grand standing by throwing caution to the winds and engaging in mind blowing financial recklessness to the detriment of the long suffering people of Kogi State. Only recently, precisely the third week of April, reports indicate that Bello’s government secured another loan of N400 Million Naira from Zenith Bank under the subhead of Security Votes! This is different from another N450 million he secured early March. More worrisome is the government’s alleged withdrawal of N200 Million Naira every week from an Abuja Zenith bank branch still in the guise of security vote. Pray, how can the state make any progress in this unfortunate situation? Can our own dear state ever witness any infrastructural development or growth with this spate of financial recklessness? Is it even logical to take loans for security?, the group queried.
The Audu / Faleke group lamented that despite spending 100 days in office, Bello has achieved nothing infrastructure wise.
“We challenge Bello to show us what he has achieved within this 100 days as per infrastructural development. Nothing is happening in Kogi except chaos in all the sectors of the State”.
On the recent bailout approved for the state, the group said the ” Yahaya Bello administration should come clean on the current staff strength of the state visavis the staff strength before he took over. The governor has been boasting of the success of his staff verification programme, so let him tell us the staff strength now, what he will pay them from the bailout and what he would be paying back to the CBN”.
According to the group, the Idris Wada government applied for the N50 billion bailout based on some statistical data during his tenure.
“Now that Bello has secured part of the bailout and has a reduced staff strength based on his verification exercise, what is he going to do with the extra money, how much were we paying as salaries before and how much are we going to be paying henceforth? Or is Alhaji Bello going to be paying the same salaries as paid under Wada administration? The people of Kogi demand answers to these posers in order to engender transparency in the application of the bailout funds”.
On how Bello’s government was able to get the House of Assembly,s approval for the bailout funds despite the fact that the Assembly was not in session, the group said it was the result of ” the temporary triumph of impunity and lawlessness over decency and rule of law”.
