Rape of Abia: Ikpeazu’s takes N16.67m daily as security vote

• T A Orji carted N48 bn security vote
• Billions poured on abandoned projects

Sopuruchi Onwuka

The burble on how Abia remained the worst governed state in Nigeria has been punctured by the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Umeh Kalu, who detailed how the three governors that ruled the state since 1999 diverted public funds to self service.

The former commissioner accused Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of leading a government that has lost sympathy for the suffering of the people and also lost direction in handling the businesses of the state’s government. He stated that Dr Ikpeazu appears to have totally diverted loyalty to self, godfathers and cronies that feast on the resources of the state.

Kalu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who was in the government of the state in the past 10 years till 2019, alleged that current Senator Theodore Orji who ruled the state for eight year carted N48 billion state funds as security votes.

In a solemn letter to current governor, the lawyer pointed out that the outrageous security vote was still running in the favour of Dr Ikpeazu at N500 million per month; adding that similar allowances still run for the Deputy Governor and Speaker of the state house of assembly albeit at slightly lower rates.

According to him, the Deputy Governor and Speaker of the House of Assembly take entitlements of about N30 million per month.

From the analysis of the former Attorney General who vowed to stand up to the attack machinery of the powerful dynasty in the state, the governor’s security vote translates to whopping N16.67 million per day; while those of the Deputy Governor and Speaker of the House of Assembly amount to some N1.0 million per day.

Again, Governor Ikpeazu is alleged to have occasionally scaled up his security vote above the annual average of N6.0 billion, leading to occasional spikes in the volume of cash drained from the state’s coffers.

“Official government records put the security votes for the governor at 7.4 billion Naira (2019) and 6.1 billion Naira (2020); deputy governor at 291 million Naira (2019) and 442 million Naira (2020), and the speaker of the House of Assembly at 325 million Naira (2019) and 260 million Naira (2020),” Umeh Kalu revealed.

“Placing a whooping sum of between 500 – 700 million Naira as security vote for the governor alone, 25 – 30 million Naira to the deputy governor and another 20 – 30 million Naira for the speaker of the House of Assembly, all in the name of security vote per month, amounts to ascribing about 25% of our entire monthly FAAC collection to these three principal government officials to the detriment of other areas of dire need in the State,” Kalu reminded the governor in the letter which has gone viral on social media.

He wondered what security functions the governor would be funding with over N500 million in one month when, according to him, the police and other conventional security agencies working in the state are funded by the federal government under the exclusive list. He pointed out that the state’s interventions in the operations of federal security agencies are marginal in scale and funding.

“It remains a mystery to me and other well discerning individuals, the use to which over 500 million Naira will be employed in the security of the State within 30 days. All the security forces in Abia State apart from the State Vigilante Service are paid by the federal government. State intervention on federal security agencies and other miscellaneous security expenses cannot justify this monthly drain on the scarce resources of the State,” the former commissioner declared.

“Allocating 30 million Naira each per month to the deputy governor and the speaker, which transmits to 1 million naira per day, cannot in any circumstance be justified,” he added.

He noted that whereas the executive and legislative leadership of the state fed fat on the state’s resources, the judicial officers suffer very austere circumstances that have befallen the rest of citizens of Abia state where a retired Chief Judges and other retired judges are said to have resorted to litigations to secure his retirement benefits and salary arrears.

Umeh said his interventions including meeting with the governor and his sister commissioner for finance to secure the gratuities and other terminal benefits of the judges failed to move the hands of Governor Ikpeazu.

“It will amount to a death warrant for these accomplished senior citizens of our State, who devoted their lives to the service of the State and at such a high level, to be made destitute on retirement. This situation will even demoralize serving judges and may likely encourage the weak amongst them to resort to bribery while in active service, in order to amass wealth to take care of themselves in retirement,” Umeh lamented.

From the former commissioner’s letter, it was clear that the funds of the state accruing from monthly Federal Allocation (FAAC), monthly Local Government Allocation (JAAC), “formal and informal” Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), 13% oil derivation, Ecological Fund, ,multiple federal government intervention funds, loans from banks and other financial institutions, and numerous sources are largely unaccounted for; leading to total collapse infrastructure, absence of social amenities, litany of abandoned projects, project cost overruns, enlistment of costly but unnecessary services, piles of debts and salary arrears and so on.

Umeh alleged that Governor Ikpeazu has failed to accomplish any significant project in the past six years of operating the state’s annual budgets, and would likely bequeath citizens of the state totally collapsed infrastructure and abandoned projects at the end of his tenure in 2023.

He pointed at lingering dualization and lighting of the FMC to Ubakala/Enugu – Aba Expressway junction, saying the “Mission Hill access road into Umuahia from the Enugu – Aba Expressway remains an embarrassment to our State and the capital city.”

“We visit other States and cannot pretend not to know that no State hosts that nature of colonial road announcing entry into its capital city. The Mission Hill road needs to be expanded and compensation paid to owners of roadside structures and buildings that may be affected in the expansion process. Ditto for the roads leading to Isieke and Ikot Ekpene. It is not an impossibility to revamp the Umuahia water scheme,” Umeh advised Governor Ikpeazu.

In also lamenting the governor’s refusal to revamp the crucial Aba/Owerri road, the Aba/Port – Harcourt road and the Ogbor Hill to Ehere and Ukpakri roadsm on the flimsy pretext that they are federal roads.

Umeh said “tagging these roads federal roads is no excuse, as the dilapidated nature of these roads is adversely affecting the economic fortunes of Aba and its citizens.”

“It is disheartening to know that all the efforts and Billions of Naira allegedly expended on the construction of roads leading to the Ariaria market, including the Ukwu mango since 2010 have yielded little or no dividend,” he added.

Pointing at the Osisioma flyover project, Umeh noted that “the delay in the completion of this project has become a big embarrassment to most Abians, as it is now a subject of comic jokes on social media. A few weeks ago, I witnessed Governor David Umahi on Channels Television making a veiled reference to the projected prohibitive cost of flyovers by some States in the country, as opposed to a meager 1.2 Billion that it cost him to complete one in his Ebonyi State. I recall that either 4.2 or 4.4 Billion Naira was the project cost of this flyover when I co-signed the contract papers some five years ago. I presently do not know the project cost, as I have information that there have been variations to the cost of the project.”

Umeh dismissed Governor Ikpeazu’s golf course project in Ohafia as misplaced priority, saying that it would be a waste of resources building golf course at a location that has no access road.

“I consider it misplaced priority, inadvertence and deceitful to be touting with the idea of a golf course in Ohafia when the roads leading to Ohafia are in deplorable condition.

“While you may encounter time and economic constraints in addressing the major road leading to Ohafia, it is advisable that you conclude the Ohafia ring road that I endorsed the contract papers some four years ago. The Ohafia ring road has long been abandoned after attaining less than 10% of the project. The same goes for the Abiriba ring road that has equally been abandoned. Nkporo is another community within Ohafia L.G.A that should attract your sympathetic consideration. The Abiriba to Nkporo road which has a history of receiving epileptic attention since your immediate predecessor’s tenure should be completed and delivered before the eclipse of your administration.

“The completion of this road will at least compensate the citizens of Abiriba and Nkporo communities for the several years in which many of their young and vibrant politicians have had their political ambition held down, to pave the way for a subservient, opportunistic and self–serving politician, at the behest of those who have brought our State to its present situation.

Still on deplorable condition of roads in the state, Umeh reminded the governor that most Arochukwu citizens now access their communities through Akwa – Ibom State, especially the rich ones who now prefer the Uyo airport to Owerri or Enugu airports. Their preference for the Uyo airport is a result of the difficulty in accessing Arochukwu through Abia State.

“Patronage for Enugu airport is equally on the increase as opposed to Owerri airport for Abia North citizens due to easy access to their homes through Ebonyi State. Motorists coming into Ohafia and Arochukwu from Lagos and Abuja access their communities through Abakiliki, Afikpo and Edda. The only attempt to link Arochukwu through Abam has long been abandoned.”

He also reminded the governor to strive and complete a 33 kilometer road contracted to Tunnel End Limited to connect the five Local Government Areas of Aba North, Obingwa, Isialangwa North, Isiala Ngwa South and part of Osisioma.

In pointing at projects earlier abandoned by predecessors of the sitting governor, Ume advised Dr Ikpezu “not to compound the myriad of issues associated with the so called legacy projects. i.e. New Abia Government House, New Abia Governors Lodge, New Abia Governors administrative offices, JAAC Building e.t.c.”

“These projects cannot be visited without a proper assessment and audit of the enormous State’s resources invested in them in relation to the quantum of work done. An audit or assessment as advised above is an area I know you may not want to embark on in order not to step on toes. You may therefore want to leave these issues for the next administration. An attempt at injecting more funds into these projects would compound the problems these projects portend for our State,” he warned.

On engagement of contractors in unnecessary services for the state, Umeh pointed at engagement of consultants to reconcile and obtain the State’s Paris Club debt refund from the federal government.

“The entire thing is a façade with the intention of defrauding the State of its scarce resources.”

It is regrettable that we have consistently allowed the resources of the State to be fleeced under the guise of settling these multiple “consultants,” he said.

“Paris Club debt refund has given birth to some Abia billionaires, who are basically bereft of any known qualification in finance or related matters. The only qualification these few persons possess is their affiliation to the seat of power in our State. While these few persons drive around in their fleet of exotic cars, thousands of deprived Abians for whom these funds are meant to ameliorate their problems are either dead or living destitute,” lamented.

In pointing at the clandestine mode of engaging the consultants, Ume declared: “It is still mind-boggling to know how a letter emanating from a governor, without any legal documentation from the appropriate government ministry, department or agency will entitle a so-called “consultant” to 25% or 30% of the resources of our State.”

Also in denouncing the rising trend of clannishness in the administration of the state, Kalu pointed at relocation of Abia State’s administrative headquarters to Aba as clear indication that Dr Ikpeazu has driven sectionalism to the zenith.

“There are claims that Orji Uzor Kalu’s tenure favoured the Igbere and Bende people, while your immediate predecessor’s tenure was for his Ibeku Clan and adjoining communities. This belief or notion has enamoured the people of Ngwa Clan to lay claim to your administration as theirs.

“We cannot as Igbos complain of being marginalized and denied of our dues as Nigerians, while we enthrone clannish sentiments in our body polity within our State. I implore you to take a closer look at all the critical appointments made by your administration from inception to date, including portfolios assigned to Commissioners, Advisers and sundry aides. The fact that past administrations were considered to be clannish in their disposition, does not provide us a vista to proceed along that divisive and retrogressive path.”

Umeh accused the governor of abusing the instrument of executive fiat by retaining people who reached mandatory retirement age on contract, employing select group of people into the state’s civil service when there is official embargo on employment, and placing people with little qualifications and expertise into senior official positions.

“It will be in the larger interest of our State and its citizens for critical and in fact all appointments to be made on merit and shared evenly among all sections of our State. I urge you to exhibit true statesmanship, fairness, justice and equity in the appointments you make, and, in the citing and distribution of amenities,” Umeh chided the governor.

In alluding to sect loyalty, Umeh accused the governor of deviating from his initial impression of visionary leader to worshiping godfathers who, according to him, helped installing Ikpeazu as the governor.

“The sudden cessation of the upward and progressive acceleration of your government towards the positive change we all desire in our State is bewildering.

“I must state here, that I have no doubt whatsoever of your passion for service… Some think you are acting on instructions, as your predecessors do not want you to outshine them. Some believe you are not in total control of the affairs of the State. A lot of people think that the terms and conditions under which you were drafted into the governorship of the State have made it difficult for you to operate maximally. All these I must say are in the realm of conjecture.

I have however on two occasions listened to your immediate predecessor narrate how he single-handedly made you governor of Abia State. At both events, your predecessor stated that you almost fell off from your chair when he told you in the presence of his wife and your wife for the first time that you were going to be the next governor of Abia State. On each of these occasions, there was loud applause for him by the undiscerning crowd of people at both events.

“I relay all these things because it does seem obvious that you are so fixated on one or two persons who claim to have made you governor and as such will not disobey or harm their interests. While nobody will endorse ingratitude, the idea of unalloyed blind loyalty to an individual in order to show gratitude has the innate capacity of eroding one’s sense of judgment, performance and capacity to deliver on the arduous task of governance.

“I have devoted some time to the issue of your predecessor’s claim of making you governor, as it does seem to me that therein lies your reluctance to depart from the past and effect the needed positive change in our State,” Umeh narrated in the letter.

The former Attorney General explained that he took to the media to share his thoughts with the governor on the real and general public perception of the poor state of affairs in Abia state, and, possibly proffer solutions towards ameliorating the situation.

He made it clear that there is no justification for the parlous and pitiable state of affairs the State, admitting that Governor Ikpeazu inherited a State that was in distress and in dire need of emergency attention. He blamed the governor for failing to make a change but willingly contributing to worsening the fate of the state.

“Those who are objective and truthful know too well that you did not originate the prevalent rot but accepted it gleefully, and, instead of halting the drift, you have sustained it. This in a nutshell is the true state of affairs in our State at the moment.

“The rain started to beat us torrentially somewhere within the eight years of your immediate predecessor’s tenure,” Ume recounted, blaming Governor Ikpeazu for his refusal to make the expected positive impact on the governance of our State.

He called on the governor to use the remaining 20 months of his administration to steer the state back on the course of progress.