Opposition calls for EFCC probe of states

Oppositionparties have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the management of monthly allocations to states.The parties said probing the spending of state funds had become necessary following the declaration by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, that a majority of the states were broke.The All Nigeria Peoples Party and the African Renaissance Party accused some of the state governors of using public funds for private projects.Former National Vice-Chairman of the ANPP, Chief Asukewe Iko-Awaji, said on Sunday in Port Harcourt that except some measures were put in place to supervise the governors.Iko-Awaji maintained that the poor financial situation of some of the states could only be attributed to the reckless spending of chief executives.He contended that the monthly allocations and internally generated revenues of each state were enough to make an impact on the lives of the people if the funds were judiciously utilised.The ANPP chief said, Some of the state governors and commissioners use state money to embark on their personal projects. Take a look at the PDP states; it is not difficult to notice that the amount of money these states receive as monthly allocation is not commensurate to what is on the ground in terms of completed projects.Look at Lagos State, the governor there is of the Action Congress of Nigeria and he has tried for his people by surpassing the performance of his predecessor. Zamfara State Governor is also working hard for the development of his people.Most of the PDP states are rich in terms of their monthly allocations and internally generated revenues. But there is nothing to show for it as the governors put the funds where they will not be useful for their people.Also, the National Secretary of the ARP, Chief Jackson Omenazu, said the states were broke as a result of the inability of the governors to manage the huge funds at their disposal.Omenazu described the level of wastefulness by some state governors as alarming, adding that only a probe into their management of funds would bring sanity to the states.According to him, governors of affected states should be made to account for the funds allocated to their states within the past three years.The ARP leader observed that rather than embark on projects that would enhance the development of their various states, governors had expended huge funds on frivolities.
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