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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Government has denied spending close to N1b on feeding and welfare for the Governor’s Office, within the third quarter of this year.
A release jointly signed by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Kazie Uko and Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Okeoma said the clarification became necessary following distortion of reports on social media, alleging that Abia State Government had spent over N900m on feeding and welfare in the Governor’s office in the last three months.
The release stated that nothing of such amount was spent in the Governor’s office during the period under review, adding that, “the total amount spent so far by the entire government of Abia State for Refreshments and Meals for the period is N223,389,889.84.
“The figure above is as captured in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.”
The release read in part, “Please, note that this figure is for the entire state and not for the Office of the Governor, as being erroneously portrayed.
“The stated figure covers expenses for special events, such as retreats, conferences, and related events.
“For welfare, the Abia State Government has so far spent the sum of N397,520,734.84.
“The Welfare expenditure is in line with the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme (SFTAS); an initiative of the Federal Government.
“Also note that the Welfare Expenditure covers all the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and not just the Governor’s Office, as wrongly alleged.”
The release made it clear that Abia State Government, under the leadership of Dr. Alex C. Otti, will continue to uphold transparency in governance, as has been demonstrated in the publication of the budget performance report for two consecutive quarters.
