From Yahaya Audu, Bauchi
Chairman Senate Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Welfare Senator Ali Wakili has challenged States House Assemblies to ensure that State Governors are judiciously utilising funds being allocated by the federal government to the states.
Wakili representing Bauchi South made the call in Bauchi in an interview with journalists on the disbursement of the Paris Club refund by the federal government.
He said that it is the responsibilities of the state house of assemblies to ensure that the governors are accountable with regards to spending states funds.
“You know that we live in a federal system. We don’t have direct oversight function over some of these monies. But I know that, one of the committees of the senate is going round about some of these monies being given out by the federal government in terms of the Bailout and interms of these Paris Club.
He therefore call on the citizens of the various states and the house of assemblies to rise and ensure that the governors declare the amount they collected and the monies are appropriated in the states budgets for accountability.
He noted that although the second trance has not be released to the governors, but the president has ordered for the funds to be disbursed to the state governors.
Senator Wakili however disclosed that controversies had been trailing some of the governors over the ways they utilised the already released funds including the Bailout funds earlier given by the president to the states to cushion the effects of the economic recession.
“If you look at it there is already controversies regarding the already released funds where it was alleged, alleged that the EFCC is probing some of them over it,”he added.
