927 Million On Food, Others: Gov Otti’s Govt Breaks Silence, Reveals Those Who Spent The Money
The Abia State Government has refuted claims that Governor Alex Otti spent over N900 million on feeding and welfare from July to September 2023.
The reports, which alleged that Otti spent N927 million within three months on refreshments, honorarium, allowances, and welfare packages, were labeled as false by the government.
Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Kingsley Anosike, issued a statement dismissing the reports as “a reflection of the mindset of the opposition to create mischief.” He clarified that the mentioned expenditure “was not by the Governor’s office as alleged, but by the entire ministries, departments, and agencies” in the state.
Anosike emphasized the government’s commitment to transparency, good governance, and fiscal discipline. He provided a breakdown of the expenditures to address the distorted reports:
“This is even more so when there are certain distorted reports on social media alleging that the Abia State Government had spent close to N1 billion on feeding and welfare for the Governor’s Office, within the period under review.
“The accurate situation is that nothing in that region has been spent in the Governor’s Office.
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“The total amount spent so far by the entire Government for refreshments and meals for the period is N223,389,889.84.
“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; an initiative of the Federal Government.
“Also note that the welfare expenditure covers all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and not just the Governor’s Office, as wrongly alleged. Expenses under welfare deal with issues of health, rehabilitation, and public emergencies.
“The figure is an aggregation of all the spending under this headline across the 76 MDAs in the state. The way it was presented was not well captured and completely misrepresented,” he concluded.
