By Abdallah el-Kurebe
Governor Aliyu Wamakko has disclosed that the Federal government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan has withheld funds spent by the Sokoto state government on Federal Road Projects to the tune of N7,099,000,000.
The governor made the disclosure in Sokoto on Wednesday when he presented the 2015 budget before the State House of Assembly.
According to him, the compelling need to ensure the completion of ongoing projects was stalled by the dwindling economic fortunes in addition to the state government’s inability to secure the reimbursement of monies spent on federal road projects.
“It is pertinent to mention that, the contingent action was also as a result of our inability to secure the reimbursement of N7.099 billion from the Federal government on Federal Roads Projects, which we have executed sequel to assurance that the sum would be refunded to the state government,” Wamakko lamented.
He however explained that he was not regretting the action of the state government in embarking on the projects because they had impacted on the lives of Sokoto people. “It is imperative to put it on record that we have not secured the reimbursement from the Federal government, in spite of follow-ups,” he said.
Expressing worries over insecurity, Wamakko stated that save for the gloomy period of the unfortunate civil war, “at no time in history had Nigerians become more apprehensive or disenchanted over the benighted acts of terrorism and bad leadership at the centre.
“The prevailing impunity, which had blended with clueless and watery economic policies as well as insecurity, has been devastating. Financial realities have continuously depicted unhappy concerns as reflected by slumps in the oil market and in fact as aggravated, especially in the North, by the growing insurgency, which tremendously affected commercial activities,” Wamakko chided Jonathan.
According to the governor, “In the context of the prevailing pathetic security problem that is afflicting us, the harrowing insurgency that has resulted in killing and maiming of thousands of innocent people in the Arewa geopolitical zone, it is imperative to emphasize on the need for constant prayers to Allah to deliver us from these calamities.”
The governor further stated that amidst the “disturbing scenario and lethargic concern over our plights by government at the centre,” Nigerians had remained composed. “Visibly, all attempts to cook-up statistical data to portray that things are in order in this country, are far from the reality,” he said.
Advising the people to be vigilant and pragmatic in finding ways that could lead the country out from the dark tunnel, Wamakko added that “it is sad to see that those who have the sacred responsibility of protecting the citizenry are by all judgements, doing very little to salvage the situation.”
He called on the people to come out enmasse in order to effect a change that, according to him, would deliver Nigerians from the clutches of bad leadership in Nigeria.
“In deed, it is very discernible that under the PDP-led administration, insecurity is atrocious; education has collapsed; infrastructural decay is quite abysmal; and that corruption has reached the topmost roof – a long tale of woes! In Shakespeare’s words, the Nigerian case at the moment, is that of “troubles coming not in single Spies but in Battalions,” Wamakko’s venom further poured.
He observed that the choice of Buhari as APC presidential candidate had demonstrated that true democracy has germinated in the country, summing up that “The toga of apathy, which had hitherto bred inequity and bad leadership, will by the grace of God be a matter of history.”
Governor presents N112.5bn budget for 2015
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto state on Wednesday presented N112,541,452,000 billion as budget for the 2015 fiscal year down from the 2014’s N125,872,202,000 billion.
The 2015 budget represents 10.59 percent decrease from 2014 which, according to Wamakko is as a result of the dwindling resources that accrue to us from the Federal Account.
Capital Expenditure stands at N61.7 billion while Recurrent Expenditure is N50.8 billion in the budget that is tagged: “Budget of Accomplishment.”
Sectoral allocations from highest to lowest are as follows: General Administration, N19,706,539,637; Works, Transport and Energy, N9,584,316,790; Education, N7,847,353,143; Water Resources, N5,511,032,895; Lands, Housing and Survey, N4,585,801,434.
Others are Agriculture, Animal Health and Fisheries, N3,864,734,216; Health, N3,516,029,064; Rural development, N2,665,055,339; Information, Social Welfare, Youth, Sports and Culture, N1,885,604,712; Solid Minerals Development, N726,015,945; Commerce, Industries and Tourism, N537,869,717; Environment, N534,356,678; Women Affairs, N441,061,052;
The budget would be serviced through expected Total Retained Revenue of N102,818,452,000; SURE-P, N3 billion; UBEC Funds, N1 billion; Loans and Grants to Capital Projects, N723 million and MDGs/CGS, N5 billion.
Wamakko said that the main thrust of the 2015 budget is to complete ongoing projects as a way of providing services to the people of the state and based on the existing Nigerian economic realities.
Speaking with Newsdiaryonline, Isa Bajini Galadanci, Commissioner in charge of Ministry for Budget and Economic Planning said that the budget also “is to make a shift from teaching people how they can take from government to how they can give themselves and the government.”
