Date Published: 06/05/09
Sir,
Security Votes as source of fraud
It is obvious that Security Votes being taken by the three tiers (levels) of government in Nigeria are being misused by the President, the Governors, and the Local Government Chairmen. The constitution provides for Security Votes for exclusive utilization of people in those positions. The amounts vary in degrees.
Recently as reported in This Day March 20, 2009 page 7, the Bayelsa Governor Sylva had complained that he got text messages warning him that he would be dealt with if he stopped the monthly N100million he appropriates for the militants. Similarly Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State in The Guardian March 20, 2009 page 7, without revealing how much, complained that funds that could have been ploughed back to meaningful development is not being spent on security; this could mean to include ransoms which he often pays to kidnappers. Recently, there was an altercation between Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State and the opposition, both claiming that he draws N200million and N400million respectively, monthly, as Security Votes. To secure Lagos State, it was reported in The Punch May, 29,2009, page 7, spent N3billion in two years; with the population of Lagos, the amount is not outrageous.
Punch newspaper sometime ago wrote an Editorial Opinion on Security Votes and condemned it as a way of enriching personally the various levels of Chief Executives in our country’s governance. Other newspapers had in the past written in the same direction. All put together, the Security Votes are supposed to be used judiciously and which none of them could be said to be towing the line. Some create security tensions in order to justify their looting the treasury.
The Chief Executives should be made to account for the Security Votes; the revelation would be astonishing to the fact pointing at the direction that most of them are architect of most youth restiveness. Let the constitution be amended on that.
Dike Odu,
Ozomagala Street,
Onitsha, Anambra State.
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