From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning in Benue State, Mr Michael Oglegba, has disclosed that Governor Hyacinth Alia inherited over 600 bank accounts operated by the immediate past administration.
The commissioner disclosed this when he received on a courtesy visit, members of the State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), in his office, in Makurdi.
Oglegba also disclosed that in the handing over notes Governor Alia received from the immediate past administration, Benue state has 19,000 pupils and 16,000 teachers which according to him, do not exist.
The commissioner who described the operation of 600 accounts as surprising said that Governor Alia had every justifiable reason to immediately freeze all government accounts after taking over because he needed to understand what was on the ground.
He said while the accounts existed, they were shown only 25 government accounts operated by the State Government adding that information at the Nigerian Inter Bank System however showed that the state had over 600 accounts.
“When we came in, we asked for the accounts and bank statements and we were presented with about 25 bank accounts. A casual look at the Nigerian Inter-Bank System showed that the Benue Government has more than 600 accounts.
“So the Governor needed to freeze those accounts to know exactly what was happening.”
Oglegba also said that the state wage bill has drastically reduced following the ongoing audits adding that the process was still ongoing and new figures would be announced when completed.
On the State debts profile, he said the State Government was owning over N359bn adding that the debts included that of the Local Government Areas.
According to him, the State Government owned in excess of N200bn adding that the remaining over N150bn were LGA debts.
“The debts owned by the state itself were in excess of N200bn. This includes local and foreign debts. However, the LGAs also have their own debts, unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities and local contractors that made up the other N150bn.
“So the Alia administration has no reason to lie about the State debts. We will be doing ourselves a great disservice if we say we own monies that we do not own. When we need loans for example who will give us?”
On the number of pupils and teachers, Oglegba said the Commissioner further disclosed that the handing over notes from the immediate past administration indicated that there were 19,000 pupils and 16,000 teachers.
The commissioner who noted that the teachers physically do not exist, noted that if they were existing, it would amount to one pupil to one teacher and Benue would have been the best place to learn.
He said Governor Alia’s administration would not continue to cry over the anomalies in the system but is committed to fighting the wrongs of the past administration and taking the state to greater heights.
Oglegba said the Alia administration has done so much already within its five months in office without any borrowing, naming the ongoing construction of 16 township roads within the state capital, lightening of streets, rehabilitation and remodelling of the state assembly complex, renovation of the state secretariat, among others.
While informing newsmen that the State Government has also paid five months’ salaries in the last four months, he urged the correspondent members to support Alia in projecting its programmes and achievements.
Earlier, the Chairman of Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr Emmanuel Antswen, said they came to familiarize themselves with the commissioner to strengthen their working relationship.
Antswen assured that the chapel members would continue to support and hold the government accountable for its policies as they have always done in the past.