Obiano’s N3.5b Largesse Tears Anambra

From Ede Simeon, Awka
Mixed reaction trails the disbursement of the N20 million each to 179 communities in Anambra State by Governor Willie Obiano, as well-meaning indigenes of the state query the socio-economic, political and moral justifications for such largest largesse judging from this austere time in the country.
One of the stakeholders and a community leader from Akpaka GRA Onitsha, Onitsha North local Government Area of the state, Mr. Nwankwo Justin, wonder why Governor Obiano, a banker turned politician, who is expected to be economically prudent in the management of the state’s resources should dole out the whooping sum of N3,5 billion to be shared by politicians.
Nwankwo, while agreed with Aristotle who said, “academic background and roots is key to an effective leadership of people”, insisted that it is not out of place to expect a proper and detailed description of the economic theories or reasons that informed the act of sharing N20 million to communities in a state when the entire national economy is heading to recession.
He lamented that Governor Obiano’s administration was metamorphosing into charitable organization, on what he termed “the bazooka share the money syndrome, all aimed at securing a second term tenure bid.”
His words: “In the name of God, when has government become a charitable organization sharing billions of public funds in critical economic times to community leaders without any development plans or strategic poverty alleviation schemes attached to it?
“Any sincere person irrespective of political affiliation, whether APGA, APC, PDP, UPP, among others should clearly understand the situation in the country today as many states are borrowing while the federal government is on a bailout exercise. What economic justification would push an accounting trained Governor to distribute over 3 billion naira to local town leaders.
“Please, is this macroeconomic or microeconomic policy supported by who? Perhaps am not correct… I need to see light! Otherwise, there is only one answer to this unfortunate action of Willie Obiano, which is, politicization of our collective patrimony, without equivocation.
“He is simply running a state of ‘Oliver Twist politics; share the money and seek for more’ without any reflections on the implications to the poor masses and the youths off the streets. I am sure the billions of naira largesse will be used by these politicians, the bourgeois of these 179 communities in the state to change their SUVs, smile to land sellers and building material dealers.”
In his view, his counterpart from Nnewi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of the state, Dumebi Enuka, advise the governor not to allow his ambition in the upcoming Anambra gubernatorial elections to blur his economic sense of development nor his grasp of human resource management in a bigger stage.
Enuka said: “This gargantuan sum of money released from the state coffers is simply a lobbying fund, a favour driven fund, aimed at a set targeted group in each of these communities in view of mere second tenure ambition.
Mr. Dumebi noted that those who received these money on behalf of these 179 communities have no idea of what to do with the money that would benefit the supposedly beneficiaries, as they were only asked to go and make a choice of what they want to use the money for, interesting.
“Somebody please tell our governor that unemployment is harassing and strangulating our youths, and Ndi-Anambra are wiser. The era of political moneybag has gone”, he stated.
In the related development, the coordinator of Awka North Stakeholders Forum (ANSF), Comrade Emmanuel Obieze bluntly told The Dream Daily that Awka North LGA needs roads and health centres, not N20 million largesse to politicians.
Comrade Emmanuel who issued what he termed “Obiano, we do not need cash” insists that it would be preferably if the government could connect Awka North by roads and Health centres, instead of a hand-out of N2 0million that will be shared by “political vultures who have fed and continue to feed from the flesh of the vulnerable masses in the society.”
He noted that Awka North remains the only LGA that has only four communities with manageable access roads and the other 9 communities cut off from their HQ by road which made them to pass through four Local Government Areas of Awka South, Njikoka, Dunukofia and Anambra East to access their LGA Headquarters.
His words: “The rainy season is here again; Ugbenu, Ugbene and Awba Ofemilli communities will be impassable. Amanuke, Isu-Aniocha and Urum communities is not left out of these suffering. Let assumed that Awka North LGA got N200million, I bet you, such gargantuan sum of money will make the general hospital at Amanuke fully functional and repair some roads across the communities in the local Government.
“Willie Obiano (Akpokuedike) should do the needful for Awka North and not patronise politicians. Our position remains that Awka North Communities do not need the governors’ N20 million largesse; we want life-enhancing projects for the benefit of the larger populace”, he concluded.