A group of elders and political leaders from Kogi State have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to look into the issue of what they described as a steady decline of good governance in Kogi state.
In the statement jointly released by Senator Alex Kadiri, Senator Mohammed Ohiare, former Speaker of the State House of Assembly and former Acting Governor Clarence Olafemi, former state PDP Chairman John Odawun, Retired Air Vice Marshall Salihu Atawodi and former Governorship aspirant, Dr Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba, details on how the state has been underdeveloped through incessant crisis in the State House of Assembly, looting of state resources and several other illegal acts considered to be highly undemocratic were given.
Something about the dying state of the PDP in Kogi State, as well as the declining state of good governance in the state. Despite the already bloated state workforce, Wada has employed 57 Special Advisers (the State House of Assembly approved only 24), 74 Senior Special Assistants, 20 commissioners and innumerable special and personal assistants.
They said a big chunk of scarce state resources is going to be spent on the salaries of political appointees many of whom have no clear responsibilities.
“Party members are disappointed that the national headquarters of the party seems to have turned a blind eye on the plight of party members in Kogi State. They are angry that some highly placed individuals in the Presidency have continued to provide underserved cover for such illegalities in the hope of reaping selfish political benefits”, they continued.
“We wish to remind Mr. President about his invitation and subsequent meeting with PDP stake stakeholders on 30th Nov 2011, two days to the Kogi gubernatorial elections, at the Presidential Villa, where you appealed to us to participate and work for the PDP, despite our serious misgivings about Captain Wada. That meeting, called at your instance, was to avert what the PDP National Secretariat, and your office, saw as a looming doom for the party in Kogi State. You discovered that the then governor had been lying to you that he was in charge of Kogi State, and that there was no cause for alarm”.
“We were ready to make a fundamental change in Kogi State because we were tired of the maladministration and looting of the last 10 years. Following your appeal, we agreed to work for the success of the party since all the damaging issues raised against Wada were said to be too late for the party to make changes. Regrettably, things have gone worse. Kogi State is now run by the clique”.
“We reject the illegal and undemocratic removal of the leadership of the Kogi State House of Assembly, and insist that all parties involved return to status quo ante. The support and recognition given by Wada and the police and the federal authorities, to the illegal leadership of the House of Assembly should be withdrawn.”.
“We insist that the Kogi State Government should as a matter of urgency, obey and implement the judgment of Kogi State High Court, declaring local council Caretaker Committees or Liaison Officers, illegal, null and void. These judgments were delivered over a year ago, and the state government had not appealed”.
“We call on all anti-corruption agencies to probe the looting of the state treasury from 2003 to date and to prosecute without delay all those found to have abused their positions. All genuine efforts made so far to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the management of public resources in the state have been compromised by some powerful forces in Abuja. Petitions to anti graft agencies are never taken seriously. The people of Kogi are very frustrated”.
“Also we insist that the report of the House of Assembly on budget appraisal, the fear of which led to the current crisis in the Assembly, must be made public, as well as other reports bordering on accountability and transparency. Kogi people can see where their looted funds were utilized within the country, and we do not want a situation where they will be pressed to a point of forcefully re-possessing these properties, since they feel that government is not prepared to protect their interests”.
“We demand a close monitoring of the judiciary by the anti-corruption agencies, to check the unwholesome practice of using state resources to procure court judgments, and to buy the support of highly placed individuals in the Presidency. We can say with certainty that almost all the money Kogi State has collected from the Federation Account since the beginning of the year has been returned to Abuja to bribe people at all levels, yet, the state can neither pay salaries nor execute capital projects”.
Comments