Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has been asked to explain if the agro training programme he organized for youths and women in Imo sate is the same as the one captured in the 2012 federal budget.
In a statement made available to journalists in Owerri and signed by the National President of the Association of Public Policy Analysis(APPA), Mr.
Princewill Okorie, the group stated the sum of N278,483,000 was appropriated in the 2012 budget for training of youths and women in agro businesses in Imo state.
“N130,000,000 was appropriated for the training of youths in Imo state in micro agricultural enterprises,N18,483,000 for extension and training of rural women another N130,000,000 for the training of youths and women in root crops and processing,” the group said.
It remarked that the deputy speaker recently organized an agro training programme at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri in conjunction with National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia state.
The group wondered whether the training organized by the lawmaker is same as the one captured in the 2012 federal budget for Imo state.
It described as worrisome the silence of the deputy speaker over the budgetary allocations for the training and actual amount of money given to participants after the training exercise.
It further queried why the training was restricted to only members of the PDP, stressing that Imo people voted massively for President Goodluck Jonathan and are entitled to dividends of democracy from the federal government.
APPA also added that if the training covered the budgeted areas, each of the
700 participants was entitled to receive N397, 832.85 and lamented that the days are gone when stories of marginalization were invented to deceive the people despite the fact that federal budgets had always favoured the state.
In his reaction, the Media aide to the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Chibuike Onyeukwu said the progarmme was entirely the initiative of his boss. He added that the programme was meant to empower the youths and women and to ensure food security in the state.
Onyeukwu debunked reports that only PDP members took part in the exercise.