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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Amid the dwindling economic fortunes of the nation, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Tuesday lamented that his administration struggled to pay salaries of workers for the month of November due to very poor allocation from the federation account.
Governor Okowa said the economy of the nation was in very bad shape, noting that the gains from the rise in the price of crude oil, which could have served as a buffer, were being depleted on petrol importation.
The governor spoke while responding to questions from journalists in Asaba during a quarterly press briefing on the activities of his administration in the past six years.
Okowa faulted the proposed national budget for 2022, saying that it was anchored on borrowing in order for the Federal Government to execute capital projects.
“The budget that was presented to the National Assembly was over N16 trillion out of which N5 trillion is for capital expenditure.
“Of that N16 trillion also, N6.2 trillion is supposed to be borrowed. If we are borrowing that as a nation, and we are spending N5 trillion on capital. The implication is that without borrowing we can’t execute a single project.
“The worse is that out of the N6.2 trillion being borrowed, if N5 trillion is for capital, it means N1.2 trillion is for recurrent expenditure. That is enough to spread fear among us as a nation.
“There is a problem, the economy is not in the best of shape. We need to understand that we are not a rich nation, we are a poor nation as at today, I don’t know about tomorrow,” Okowa said.
On the proposed removal of petroleum subsidy, the governor noted that it was an entirely Federal Government decision, cautioning however that such decision should be made in line with the laws of the land and the prevailing economic situation in the country.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to do what is right by constituting the substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and stop depriving states of the privilege of having representatives in the political administration of the intervention agency.
According to him, the situation at NDDC is unfortunate, illegal and unknown to the laws of Nigeria.
“We were told by the presidency that as soon as the forensic report was submitted that the board would be constituted. Unfortunately, the report has been submitted for some months now, we are still awaiting the constitution of the board.
“I think that no matter what is going on, there is a law and there is need for us to obey the law, there is the need for the FG to do what is right because, beyond the law, the provisions in the law ensure that there is equity such that no state is short-changed,” he added.
