Akwa Ibom leaders question FGs misuse of commonwealth

Statesmen in Akwa Ibom State have called on the National Assembly and other independent bodies in Nigeria to look into unbudgeted emergency expenditures in the country, which according to them have resulted in the depletion of the national reserves.

They urged the National Assembly to brace up to its oversight requirement in order to answer the many constitutional gaps being promoted by the executive arm of government.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, 27 February 2020 in Uyo, the state capital, the leaders under the aegis of Akwa Ibom Leaders’ Vanguard, said they had observed the abuse of commonwealth, dignity and recent threat to safety of people and resources in the country and would not keep mute over the issues.

The elders, who spoke through their leader, Senator Anietie Okon, cited Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, ‘Special Projects’ as one of the instances where commonwealth was abused and unaccounted for and wondered why the corporation should execute federal government’s Special projects to the tune of N43bn from N16bn in December saying that the revenue expended ought to have been remitted to the national treasury.

According to him, “while we slumber, the NNPC engages in federal government “Special Projects” to the tune of N43bn from N16bn in December, causing us to wonder why the federal government project is being executed and paid for by NNPC, from the revenue it should be remitting to the treasury.

“Some of the shrouded subheads like the PMS Under Recovery deductions have witnessed 62 percent increase to N45bn in the same period.

“What manner of deductions costs the nation so much on a monthly basis? These ambiguous deductions require explanation even as the location of the Special Projects must be identified and duly communicated as published in the February 2020 FAAC Executive Summary.”

The elders lamented that Akwa Ibom state was yet to witness the sitting of special projects or the location of NNPC subsidiary despite enormous contribution of its resources to the nation’s economy noting that the state ought to assume its rightful place in NNPC’S appointment, PTDF scholarship, projects and Investments in the country.

They queried the rationale behind the lopsided sitting of projects such as Universities, Refineries in Daura, President Muhammad Buhari’s hometown, saying that that was the height of infrastructural nepotism and display of corruption in which the present government had claimed to tackle.

“Let it be known that the resources as generated mainly from the hydrocarbon deposits in the Niger Delta region has been dubiously channeled into the wasteful prospecting of oil in Chad Basin and recent day and night construction of petrochemical Refinery in Daura, Kastina State.

“This nepotistic infrastructure strategy completely negates the oath of allegiance sworn by the president as sudden attractions of institutions including Universities, Refineries, etc find Kastina particularly Daura an attractive location against the principle of national interest above private considerations.” The statement read in parts.

The elders also regretted that their sons were used to perpetuate confusion at the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, under the guise of forensic investigations, endless board formations and ad-hoc recklessness saying that, that was a ploy to distract them and render them inefficient throughout the period they would stay in office unlike the North East Development Commission which does not have encumbrances and is flourishing.”

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