Salary arrears: Impeach Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Imo, Edo govs --- LEDAP

(Nigeria) The Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP, has called on the Houses of Assembly of Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Imo and Edo States to commence the impeachment of their state governors, who are unable to pay salaries of their civil servants for financial recklessness and profligacy.

National Coordinator of LEDAP, Mr Chino Obiagwu in a statement in Lagos, said “President Mohamed Buhari’s regimes must immediately open transparent and independent investigations into the misuse of public funds, including huge sums of money borrowed from the capital market by the ex-Governors of Benue, Enugu, Rivers, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Plateau and Zamfara States.

“The failure of these states governors to pay salaries of their civil servants, who constitute less than two per cent of the population of the states, shows a total failure of governance and profligacy on the part of the governors. The monthly allocations from the Federation account is more than enough to meet the basic governance obligations of the states, because it is far above the monthly wage bill of the states.

“It is also more than enough to meet the cost of maintaining basic utility infrastructures of the states. The reason why these states claim they can no longer pay salaries of workers is because they have been diverting public funds to their private estates.

“It is a national shame that a governor will remain in office even when his administration is unable to meet the basic obligations of government, which is payment the salaries of its workers. Yet, the governor and his hangers-on continue to live ostentatious lifestyles and build estates around the world. The citizens of these states must rise up and demand for accountability. Their elected representatives must do that now.

“A state government should as a matter of good governance build economic base for internally generated revenue. States like Osun, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Enugu and Edo are rich in agricultural resources and have no reason to depend on the federal government for payment of salaries of their workers. Osun state is a haven for cocoa farming and a modest investment in that area could make the state an exporter of cocoa within few years. The Republic of Cote d’Voir depends mainly on cocoa exports for its national revenue and it is one of the richest in the CFA monetary sub region. “Rather than invest in agriculture, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbosola, corruptly spent billions of naira on bogus and unsustainable ventures such as buying toy computers for school pupils, who are not even getting quality basic education. Benue State is once a source of food supply to all southern Nigeria. A committed and upright state governor could have invested in the farming of the core products the state is known for, and would not depend on Abuja for fiscal viability. Rather than do that, the ex-governor spent most of his eight years in office and state resources attending social parties and other profligacy, despite shutting down public schools for more than one year because of failure to pay workers’ salaries.

“Most of these failed states governments are neck deep in debts. Some have borrowed over N20billion from the capital market with moratorium of repayment extended beyond their tenure in office. Other domestic and international debts eat into their monthly federal allocations. Without sufficient internally generated revenue, there is no way these states can remain viable. It means that for many decades to come, the states will remain in debt. These heartless governors have mortgaged the future and destinies of generations yet unborn by virtue of their bare greed. They cannot be allowed to go scot-free.

“It is appalling that most of the borrowed funds were misused or out-rightly embezzled by the ex-governors and their cohorts. The purposes for which the loans were collected were not carried out and many of the funds ended up in private bank accounts or through doggy capital projects.  Yet, these states are unable to pay salaries of workers. What is more criminal than this?

“LEDAP tasks the new regime of President Buhari to redeem its campaign promise of tackling corruption, by immediately opening transparent, independent and professional investigations into the finances of these failed states that are unable to pay workers’ salaries. The regime must go beyond Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, because as we have said on several occasions, these anti-corruption bodies have not been able to show any results to Nigerians that they are committed to the fight against corruption.

“Despite widespread corruption in high places across the country, EFCC and ICPC have not been able to successfully prosecute and convict any highly placed politically exposed person in the seven years since the conviction of Bode George and his sentence for paltry two years imprisonment for stealing billions of Naira. All pending corruption charges against ex-governors are either being dismissed in the courts or they are stalled or plea-bargained off.

“This regime cannot run its anti-corruption agenda with such unproductive agency. We must remind President Buhari that Nigerians voted for him and his deputy on the basis of their anti-corruption credentials, and the Nigerian civil society will not accept any excuse for the regime’s failure in this regard.”