Governor Adams Oshiomhole has said that no one is more deserving of the tag of emperor which former President Olusegun Obasanjo sought to hang on state governors recently than Obasanjo himself.
Oshiomhole,
reacting to a statement by the former president that state governors live
like emperors and hinder the local governments from performing their
staturoty functions, said the allegations do not apply to him (Oshiohole) or
his administration.
Governor
Oshiomhole said perhaps Obasanjo was referring to governors that ruled
between 1999 and 2007 when he was in power.
Several
other governors also denied the Obasanjo allegations.
Oshiomhole
said Obasanjo exhibited traits of an emperor during his tenures as
military head of state and civilian president.
Speaking through the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince
Kassim Agbua, the Edo governor said that he has been able to manage the meager
resources in the state in a transparent manner.
He said: “The former president was a member of the PDP until
a few weeks to the general elections when he tore his membership card. He
may be referring to PDP governors whom he presided over. He may have
information about PDP governors whom he presided over that he wanted to share.
“Our economic infrastructure is second to none in the history
of this state. The PDP presided over this state for a period of ten years and
they left a tale of woes, neglect and discredit infrastructure. Today we have
converted that sorry state to a sweetened state by virtues of the economic
infrastructure we have put in place.
“It will be a wrong estimation for anybody to put Oshiomhole
in the rank of those who are called emperors. We don’t own a private jet in
this state. Others have and they don’t have the means to sustaining it. We
don’t live an exorbitant lifestyle. The governor’s office is the same except
that we renovated it to give it a facelift.
“Go round and ask local government chairmen. Oshiomhole does
not touch local government money. The directive he gave was that they should
pay primary school teachers as a first line charge because of his commitment to
education.
“When there was an interregnum, he saved money for the local
governments. Some got as much as N800m. They inherited it because Oshiomhole
saved the money for elected chairmen.”
The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and
Communication, Mr Aniekan Umana speaking for Governor Udom Emmanuel also
said the governors does not live an ostentatious life.
The Commissioner described Emmanuel as “a very humble and God
fearing person, very humane, a family man to the core who loves his people and
is working assiduously to uplift the standard of living of every Akwa Ibom and
other persons.”
He said despite Udom’s good fortune as a private man before
becoming governor, he had been known to lead a simple life style and he has
continued to do so.
Umana said until recently, Governor Emmanuel was still using
his personal cars to go about his official duties and made no fuss about it.
He said with victory at the Supreme Court and the
distractions taken off his way, he is going to focus on an unparalleled
industrial and general development of Akwa Ibom State and its people.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State said he has
no business dictating to the local governments on the way and manner they
run their affairs or use the funds allocated to them.
He stated all statutory organs of government are
allowed to carry out their functions without any let or hindrance.
Bello who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Jide Orintunsin, said he has never tampered with local
government funds in the state adding that what belongs to the local government
goes to them.
He said the 25 local government councils in the state are
given a free hand to carry out their activities and cited the example of the
caretaker committee of Chachanga local government who invited the
governor to “inspect projects single-handedly financed by them.”
Similarly,Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State said he is
more interested in the welfare of the people of the state than living like an
emperor as insinuated by former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Governor, spoke yesterday in Awka, through his Senior
Special Assistant (SSA) on Media, Mr. James Eze.
He said: “it is a simple matter, we are in a democracy and
democracy thrives on criticisms and pluralism of opinions from various groups
and individuals.
“In Anambra state, our realities are different, because
Obiano is doing exceedingly well and meeting the yearnings and aspirations of
those who elected him.
“For instance, there are only three states namely, Anambra,
Lagos and Kaduna that are continuously paying salaries of their workforce in
Nigeria.
“Not only that, Obiano is doing other capital projects and
that is not how a Governor that lives like an emperor conducts his state, he
also granted amnesty to 25 prison inmates and gave each of them one million
naira to start their life afresh.
“Is that how a man that lives like an emperor behaves?He is a
listening Governor who has the interest of his people at heart and working for
them and that is why the people are happy in Anambra.
“Again, few days ago, he gave automatic employment to 13 medical
doctors who just graduated, when some states are throwing out their workers
into the unemployment world.
“Obiano lives for the people and not living like an emperor
or diverting local government funds as being portrayed by our revered
elderstatesman, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.”
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State said he could not have
been among those Obasanjo called emperors as he does not live or act like
one.
He responded through his Senior Special Assistant on Public
Communications Sam Hart.
His words:”The Abia State Governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is not
and cannot be one of the Governor’s the former President is referring to.
“President Obasanjo was in Abia just recently where he
commissioned some of the projects executed by the Governor in a very short time
he assumed office.
“He was so impressed with what was going on in Abia within so
short a time that he adopted Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as one of his political sons
and also urged other governors to emulate him.
“Dr. Ikpeazu lives in the Abia State Governor’s Lodge in Aba,
which is a 3-Bedroom Colonial building with the barest minimum amenities. He is
not in a hurry to complete the new Government House in Umuahia as there is no
money to complete the project.
“Surely, a person who wants to live like an emperor will not
operate from such a building for 9 months now.
“Moreover, by his very nature, he is not taken by the
trappings of his office. He has maintained his pre-inauguration Spartan
unassuming and no-airs life so surely, he is not one of those being referred to
by the former president.
“ Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has no business with Local Government
funds in Abia State. The Chairmen receive their allocations and execute
projects as they deem needful”.
Saturday Nation’s efforts to get the reactions of
Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State were unsuccessful.
His Special Adviser on Media ,Yakubu Ibn Mohammed was said to
be busy even long after he had been notified of our intention.
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