Ahmed Mohammed
10 July 2009
interview
Jos — How do you react to the controversy surrounding the N7.4 billion due to the local governments in Plateau which has been held by the state government?
Yes it is true that over 7.4bn was conserved by the local governments and the money was kept because we didn't want to give it to appointed council chairmen. But immediately we conducted local government elections and new chairmen were elected, we told them about this money. This act also goes along to confirm that the governor is indeed interested in running a corrupt free administration in Plateau State. I want to repeat that the state government has kept over N7bn and this has been made public at several public functions.
It's about six months now since the elected chairmen of the local government were sworn in and government has directed each council chairman to bring proposals for the projects that they intend to execute in the 2009 financial year. I don't think it is out of place for the state government to look into their budget and proposals in order to pick priority areas for the projects that will be executed. But let me correct this notion. We are not saying they should bring the projects so that the state government will award the contracts or it will go and execute it for them. That is not correct. What we are saying is bring your proposal and your budget for the project as approved by the local government legislative council. If you bring the two together, we will look at them, look at the priority areas and then release the money to you so that you can carry on with the project. Once this process is followed, the chairmen will go and do the projects themselves.
I think those that are complaining don't want to say the truth. In fact the governor has been on my neck. He has been telling me to hurry up and bring these details so that the said money will be disbursed to them. And let me say that there are some local governments that are waiting for their budget to be approved.
Secondly, there are some local governments that have not yet submitted their project proposal. So what do you expect us to do? During the last JAC meeting, I told the 17 council chairmen that if after a week, I don't get the entire proposal, I will treat only those that are with the ministry, then forwarded them to the governor. Those who delay theirs will have to suffer because few people cannot hold the majority to ransom. So that is the decision we have taken. So anyone who says there is unnecessary delay is not being honest. This is the true position and everybody will get his own share of the saved excess crude funds to execute his projects.
Initially N3.5m was deducted from the local government for environmental sanitation. We learnt that the chairmen had protested and it was reviewed to 1.2m. Why and how did the government spend the arrears before it was reduced?
Certain things happened before my posting to this ministry but I have gone through the records and I have seen them. Initially, each local government was contributing 3.5m towards sanitation work and environmental problems. The local authorities complained that the money is too much and should be reduced because their allocation from the federal government is dropping and they will not find it easy in the face of the economic meltdown. The governor saw reason with them and reduced the money to N1.2m. This money is strictly meant to pay the cleaners we employed in every local government. Their job is to sweep the streets; they sweep public places; they clear refuse; they cut grasses during rainy season and so on and so forth. The N1.2m is the exact amount used for the payment of these people at the local level.
Initially, it was N3.5m and after deducting wages of the sweepers, the balance is for environmental activities handled by the Ministry of Environment in the Local Government areas. The governor now directed that the other aspect should be left with the ministry. He said only salaries of the cleaners should be deducted. So that is what we are deducting at the moment and soon after the deduction, the money goes straight to the Ministry of Environment for the payment of the cleaners.
There were allegations that over 15% is being deducted from the local government funds for the UBE programme. How correct is this and if it is not correct how much is being deducted?
Unfortunately I am not in a position to answer this question very well but I suggest you meet the authorities of state Primary Education Board. And I am aware of the Problem during my first JAC meeting with the local government chairmen. I summoned the officer in charge of the state Primary Education Board and she tried to explain her position to us. So we asked her to go and reconcile the figures and they are working on it. But honestly a lot of money is required to give sound and qualitative education.
In this regard education got a lot of money in this year's budget. You know government declared a state of emergency on education. At the local level, we have a lot of primary schools and we have a large number of teachers engaged in those schools and that is where the money goes. So what the local government chairmen are saying is that only money for paying teachers' salaries is taken and no more. I think what was obtained in the past is that after the money for payment of teachers salaries there is another one for renovation of schools. Now the local government authorities are saying they are in a better position to identify schools that require renovation or furnishing or equipping, so that should be left to them. We are looking for that, but honestly for the figures, the board will be in a better position to give you that information.
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