Date Published: 08/21/09

Alleged misappropriation of N500 billion naira: Governor Chibuike Amaechi goofed

On the 4 July 2009, the Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi reacted to a publication by Pointblnaknews.com titled “Governor Amaechi in N500 billion wasteful spree”. The Pointblanknews.com, an internet-based media platform, published the story on the 16 June, 2009, relying on the report of “a group known as Niger Delta Watchdog”.

Governor Amaechi’s statement is typical of public office holders in Nigeria who are known to carry on with a swagger that brushes aside threads of criticisms, even the most constructive. It would seem that Governor Amaechi substituted the “Niger Delta Watchdog” with the name of our organization, Niger Delta Citizens and Budget Platform (NDCBP), a platform of citizens’ organizations that published a comprehensive report titled, “Carry-Go”: Citizens Report on State and Local Government Budgets in the Niger Delta (2008)”. The report is based on analysis reports and coordinated monitoring of the implementation of the 2008 state and local government budgets of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States.

Governor Amaechi’s rejoinder, titled “Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi alleged misappropriation of N500 billion naira: A tall tale”, linked NDCBP to the original story of Pointblanknews.com . Amaechi got support from one Ikenga Igbo, whose epistle the Pointblanknews.com also published on 8 July, 2009. Besides rehashing Amaechi’s mistakes about NDCBP’s independent report, Ikenga called the organization names such as “faceless group” and “job seekers”, among others. This is very unfair.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Pointblanknews.com did not mention the name of NDCBP in its original story on Ameachi, which the Governor and his supporter, Ikenga, wrongly made readers to believe. The Pointblanknews.com story did not also quote the NDCBP’s “Carry-Go Report” or any aspect of it. It becomes pertinent to ask: where in the Pointblanknews.com’s story did Amaechi see NDCBP which he conveniently referred to, and blackmailed with gusto in his rejoinder?

As a matter of fact, the NDCBP in analyzing and monitoring the 2008 budget of Rivers State meticulously examined three key sectors namely, education, health and infrastructure. The organization reported, among other findings, that …Rivers State Government House had an allocation of N23.17billion or 6.15% of the entire budget as against Health (N15.406billion or 4.09%) in the 2008 budget.  The Education sector got N24.102billion or 6.39%, just N1billion above Amaechi’s Government House, which the 2008 budget makes us believe, is a priority when juxtaposed against the poverty-stricken communities of Rivers State! There are more misplaced priorities. Of the N24.1billion allocated to Education, more than 50% was given to building/renovation of schools and furnishing of the state’s Ministry of Education building complex. The NDCBP’s monitoring exercise showed that no new schools were built during the budget year.

The NDCBP also discovered that the Rivers State government had allocated N150million to expansion of the Rivers State Central Library and provision of books in the 2008 budget. The expansion covered a two-room extension that was commissioned in 2007. The expansion and provision of books had earlier got N300million in 2007. At the library, the books were found to be inadequate compared to the amount allocated for their purchase. Library officials informed NDCBP field monitors that no new books were provided during the period.

On infrastructure in 2008, Amaechi’s budget provided the sum of N15billion for Port Harcourt Ring Road without location. At the end of the fiscal year, no sign of the Port Harcourt Ring Road could be seen anywhere. The same fate befell the N5billion that was set aside by his government for the development of Greater Port Harcourt City near the International Airport at Omagwa. The Rivers State government has not explained to the citizens what happened to the funds budget for the projects.

In Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area, one of the LGAs in Rivers State monitored by the NDCBP, analysis revealed that the local government council chairman’s office got a whopping N128.5million or 15% of the total of recurrent expenditure of N856.3million! How large is the chairman’s office? What does he really do that requires such huge sum of vote from the council’s budget?  In the same council, N338.2million or 39% was earmarked for overhead cost while N518.0million or 60.4% went to personnel cost. Are these not outrageous and misplaced priorities? Indeed, there are more questions.

Amaechi should open his mind to critical assessment and analysis of his administration. From his unfortunate and misguided attack on NDCBP, Amaechi is simply demonstrating that he resents useful criticisms and that democracy should not be participatory. Is Amaechi also declaring that his administration should not be subjected to scrutiny? This dangerous path has been one of the banes of democratization of governance in Nigeria.

The Niger Delta Citizens and Budget Platform is a collaboration of civil society organizations, comprising Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action, host of NDCBP Secretariat), Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, United Action for Democracy (UAD), South-South Zone, Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) and Bayelsa NGO Forum (BANGOF).

The NDCBP is resolutely committed to promoting a new ideal in democratic accountability in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria by improving participation and dialogue among communities, civil society and governments to ensure that government budgets and revenues from natural resources work for the people.

END

By Niger Delta Citizens and Budget Platform (NDCBP)

Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action)

33, Oromenike Layout, D/Line,

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

+234 84765413

www.citizensbudget.org