Governor berates FG's policy on unspent budget expenditure

EBONYI State Governor Martin Elechi has faulted Federal Government's budgeting process that has created room for the return of several unexpended billions of naira into government coffers at the end of the budget period.Attributing the development to bureaucracy in the system, he challenged Federal Government to come up with a realistic budgeting process that could make possible its execution so as to fast track development and encourage sectors of the economy.Speaking during a meeting with members of the southeast Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC, the governor observed that such bodies had become necessary in view of the realisation of the people that they needed to lead the path of economic growth and sustainability.He challenged SENEC to produce a blueprint for the socio-economic development of the southeast geopolitical zone in order to justify its formation and make it more marketable and attractive to southeast states especially Ebonyi state.The Ebonyi State governor said that he needed to be educated more on the commission before he could fully join the body, stressing that he needed more assurances that joining the body would advance and promote the economic potentials and status of Ebonyi State.Elechi stated that he was not opposed to the ideas being canvassed by the commission but expressed concern as to the ability of Ebonyi, which is economically younger, to compete on equal pedestal with the other stronger states in the zone.Earlier, Steering Committee Chairman of the SENEC, Mr. Chris Okoye, stressed that the set objective of the body was to pursue the economic integration of the five Igbo speaking states, adding that it would fasten development and make the zone economically sound.The steering committee chairman of the proposed commission, encouraged the Ebonyi State government to sign up to the commission, stressing that the commission was set up to enable the Igbos work as a group economically and to avoid the spirit of individualism, which he said, killed many enterprising businesses of the zone in the past.Okoye pointed out that the commission aimed at closing the gap-needed for a public, private and community partnership to drive the economic growth of the zone and called on Ebonyi State to join the commission and put the needed legal instrument in place for it.He added that the issue of security and generation of data should be done on a regional basis for a better result.
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