Those of us who are privy to the inscrutable happenings and inequities beclouding the administrative reflexes of the present administration in Anambra would readily agree to the fact that the political discourse in the state is one that calls for pensive Policy engagements and not tales of Godfatherism.
Cloaked and ostensibly sold to us in the toga of a seasoned administrator who thrived exponentially in his professional field of play. Three years into the administration of Governor Willie Obiano, one might not need to have a second look to arrive at the conclusion that the government of the day appeals more to connubiality than technocracy as advocated in earlier instances.
Anambra boasts of variegated commercial clusters and a civil service workforce that accounts for barely 40 % of the state's population. Given these indices that point towards the prospects of a formidable homegrown economy, one would have expected Governor Obiano to tilt his policies towards rapid economic and industrial development like Governor Okezie Ikpeazu whose administration has harped on the commercial viability of Aba city to create Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and a foreign investment driven economy in Abia state. Rather, in an early move and a breath of crass economic sabotage, Governor Obiano started out by abandoning Innoson, the Anambra based vehicle manufacturer to patronize Tata motors in far away india, hence breeding "capital flight" breaking the existing local money circulation/investment chain and creating wealth in a foreign economy.
Against the backdrop of a revered accountant who rose through the ranks of public stewardship and accountability, Obiano upon arrival as Governor presided over a cash embezzlement spree and has ever since, shrouded the budgetary/fiscal expenditure of the state in utmost secrecy.
The Aguleri born Governor who recently recieved N23b Paris club refund, pockets N1.2 billion monthly under the guise of security votes and barely accounts for about N1.74b monthly from FAAC, N1.2b monthly IGR and another N750m as VAT Anambra state acrues monthly, also spends about N1.38b monthly on personnel costs and another N2.67b on overhead costs, Totaling-N4.05b on monthly recurrent expenditure as against the N3.7b the state generates monthly.
With a debt profile of over N60billion, Obiano needs to realize that sustainable borrowing has its limit. His government should therefore look for ways to attract investments. Economic growth can only come from investments and not consumption.
These disturbing fact and figures invariably paint a grim picture of a leader whose economic body language would match the dictionary definition of Cluelessness.
Okonkwo Ikechukwu Godspower © 2017.
Abuja, Nigeria.
Sunday, 10 September 2017
Correction 2017: Shifting The Anambra Political Conversation, By Okonkwo Godspower
Politics
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