Anambra rights group raise alarm over 2014 budget

Anambra rights groups
raise alarm over 2014
budget
Some selected civil society organisations in
Anambra State have called on the new
governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie
Obiano to prevail on members of the state
House of Assembly to properly review the
2014 budget estimate before it is passed into
law in order to clear some grey areas.
The Justice Development and Peace Caritas
(JDPC), Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Civil
Liberties Organization (CLO) Anambra State
Branch, Civil Rights Concern (CRC) and
others at a press briefing yesterday, said the
proposed budget contains very high and
unclear items running into billions of naira.
Reading out their communiqué, the
Archdiocesan Director of JDPC, Rev. Fr.
Edwin Udoye said the purpose of budget
monitoring is that public resources are not
made to benefit only a select few in the
corridors of power but to benefit all,
especially the poorest of the poor.
The group said they noticed issues ranging
from misplacement of priorities, votes that
are unclear and cannot be monitored,
repeated votes that do not promote the
security and welfare of Anambra citizens in
the budget and described the budget as
“inappropriate, unclear and frivolous”.
The group noted that eight years of Obi’s
administration was not known for frivolous
and reckless spending and raised alarm that
the over votes identified in the 2014 budget
might be for self-aggrandizement and
enrichment of few political officials and civil
servants in the government.
“In the 2013 budget, N2 million was voted for
Anambra State Integrated Livestock
Company Limited but unbelievably in 2014
budget estimate, N502 million was allocated
to the company.
Furnishing and equipment for Abuja and
Lagos Liaison offices was N6 million in 2013
but in this 2014 appropriation, it spiralled to
N300m. Also, provision of furniture and
equipment for the offices and quarters of the
Head of Service was allotted N155m without
any specification on the project among
others. We should also ask pertinent
questions whether some of the bogus
allocations are priorities over the lives of
pregnant mothers and the future of children
who should be in school in the state” the
group said.