CORRUPTION & MASSIVE DEBT ACCUMULATION:
Kogi Governor, YAHAYA Bello sets aside N1.5billion for Refreshments, N600million to upgrade Deputy governor’s office in 2022 Budget
…slashed workers’ salaries payment structure
*Claims: ‘N100 million to be used to Rehabilitate/Repair Deputy Governor’s building, Electrical Installation to cost N10million, Generator House Construction billed for N20million, Office Furnishing estimated for N350milliom; Renovation/Furnishing of Lodge for N200million, Car Park/Posh in Lodge at N4million, Construction of SEMA Warehouse at over 120million; Extension of Deputy Governor’s Complex: N120million, Construction of Storm Water Drainage in Premises at a fee of N100million
*‘Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State have no regard for human lives. Workers treated like slaves, living in fear’- Usman Okai, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party,
*“EFCC must investigate this matter urgently and save the workers”- Naija Standard Newspaper Center for Investigative Journalism
*BY KAREEM IKOTUN/Special Anti-graft Correspondent, Kogi
SELF-Styled fashion-driven Governor of Kogi state, YAHAYA BELLO is facing backlash and outrage over his plans in 2022 budget to squander billions of funds in various fronts amounting to N1.5billion on refreshment and N600million to upgrade the Deputy governor’s office in a state where most of the workers have their salaries accrued slashed in the governor’s payment structure’s tactic.
The claims to allegedly squander these funds by Bello in Deputy governor’s office include: Rehabilitation/Repairs of Deputy Governor’s building: N100million, Adding Electrical Installation: N10million, Construction Generator House N20million, Furnishing of Deputy Governor’s Office: N350million; Renovation/Furnishing of Deputy Governor’s Lodge: N200million, Car Park/Posh in Deputy Governor’s Lodge N4million, Construction of SEMA Warehouse: over 120million, Extension of Deputy Governor’s Complex: N120million, Construction of Storm Water Drainage in Deputy Governor’s Office Premises: N100million.
To make matters worse, there are still workers begging the governor for their accrued salaries to be paid. An anonymous worker in Kogi State who would not want her name in print confirmed that many civil servants in Kogi State are begging to feed their families, due to non-payment of their monthly emoluments.
Even then, the Kogi State Government has earmarked humongous sums for refreshments, furnishing of offices and others in its 2022 budget, despite its inability to pay the salaries of workers for several months.
Naija Standard Newspaper Center for Investigative Journalism, NSCIJ obtained the state budget for 2022 presented to the State House of Assembly, where the government is set to spend more than N1.5billion on refreshments and more than N600million for the furnishing of the Office of the Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja.
Going by the budget proposal, Bello will also be spending N50million on donations and redemption of pledges. The governor also budgeted N500million as “expenses incidental to governor’s tour.” Last year, N400million was set aside for a similar purpose.
Salaries payment denied b opposition:
Meanwhile, Usman Okai, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has alleged that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is treating workers of the state like slaves. A statement by Okai on recently alleged that local government workers, secondary school teachers, and other workers in the employ of the state government are paid stipends by the state and local governments without any explanation. The PDP chieftain also lamented that officers on salary Grade Level 13 in the state are paid between N26, 000 and N30, 000 per month and that many categories of workers are still owed salaries and other
According to Okai, since Bello declared his ambition to run for the presidency in 2023, he has permanently relocated to Abuja and running the affairs of the state from there.
He said top state government officials had to practically beg to get some stipends to run the affairs of their offices.
Okai stated that “there is nothing like governance in Kogi State. Unfortunately, everybody is living under fear, hence most people and organised labour unions have decided to remain mute for fear of the unknown”. Speaking further, he noted that the state is in a bad shape and that nothing works except sycophancy.
“Even the state House of Assembly members that are supposed to represent the third arm of the government in the state are not functioning as the governor has blatantly refused to provide members with official vehicles. The so-called ‘elected’ local government chairmen are being compelled to sign cheques for projects that are not in existence; all to cover up funds being wasted on daily basis.
“So, Governor Yahaya Bello should stop treating Kogi workers like slaves. He should know that the state runs a full-fledged monolithic economy; resting primarily on civil service architecture for survival and whatever affects that arm of government will permeate to all sectors. This is the major reason Kogi people are currently groaning with hardship under the reign of terror as typified by Governor Yahaya Bello.
“I want to plead with Nigerians to ignore Bello’s ranting and perceive him as being grossly infantile and callous to be a governor in an ideal society, except in a degenerated society like Nigeria,” he said.
In a separate interview recently, some local government workers and primary school teachers who all spoke further on condition of anonymity, said since the state government tampered with their salary structure and payment system introducing one deduction after the other, many have had to contend with the new reality pursuant to the emergence of the New Direction led government of Governor Yahaya Bello.
One of the workers who complained bitterly on phone, said she received N16,000 instead of N45,000 basic salary she ought to be paid as a Level 7 LG worker. “As I speak to you, my son who is studying in KSU (Kogi varsity) called me to send money for him to refill his gas, but I couldn’t help but cry over the phone as a result of this critical situation in the state.
“The last salary I collected was N16,000. I am supposed to be paid N45,000 as a Level 7 worker, but the percentage salary has put me at a disadvantage,” one of the affected workers our reporter.
Having sighted the 2022 budget, Naija Standard Newspaper Center for Investigative Journalism, NSNCIJ, questioned the basis for Bello to have presented such staggering amount in the 2022 budget to Kogi State House of Assembly under the guise of proposed funds for the Deputy governor’s office refurbishment. In a statement signed and issued by the Deputy Patron of NSNCIJ, Michael Lambert Osakwe, an internationally renowned media personality in United States, it reads: “Governor Yahaya Bello needs to be held accountable for allegedly planning to put Kogi State into serious debt under the guise of 2022 budget. This proposed budget is outrageous in a state where many of the workers have their salaries slashed. We are using this medium to direct Nigeria’s apex anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to look into this matter as a matter of urgency and set up a full-scale monitoring unit to investigate these funds so that every hands soiled in the disbursement should be exposed and prosecuted. We are closely following this bill in State House of Assembly and will take up further action as at when due.”
*Additional reports by Sahara Reporters
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