A group in diaspora identified as Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora (AESID), has called for caution in the spending of resources by the Ebonyi government.
It also called on the anti-graft agencies to monitor closely the sharing of another COVID-19 palliative in the state.
AESID called on the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant agencies to come to the rescue of the state.
In a statement, released on Tuesday, October 6 by its president, Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, the group expressed disappointment on the way the current administration in Ebonyi continued to manage what it described as scarce resources in the state.
According to the group, it has information that the state government is about to spend another N4 billion as ‘Second phase palliative’ to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement read in part: “The Ebonyi state government should be brought to book to also account for the various sums ordinarily meant for the development of the state which has officially been reported to the anti-graft agencies as having been diverted.
“We at AESID are quite disturbed about the way and manner the Ebonyi state government has continued to mismanage the scare resources of our poor state without any scintilla of accountability.
“We hold this view because the Umahi-led administration to the best of our knowledge is yet to give an account of an earlier approval of N4billion it made in July this year which it had christened ‘palliatives for Ebonyians.’”
AESID called on the Ebonyi state government to halt the proposed plan to lavish state funds under the façade of COVID-19 palliatives. The group said the government should first of all account for its management of the earlier sum approved and released as palliatives.
The group further said its suspects that the COVID-19 has since its outbreak in the country become a huge business and a means to loot and divert lean resources accruing to the states.
Concluding, the group said: “This platform, therefore, urges the Ebonyi state government to reverse itself and not tow this path of ignominy by wasting resources in the guise of palliatives.”
The AESID had earlier condemned an alleged sale of a landed property belonging to the Ebonyi state government in Lagos.
Post Views: 637
