By Chuks Eke
A member of the House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Renewable Energy, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene has charged journalists in the country to go for full time investigative reportage.
He said part of the Investigative journalism entails holding government accountable in budget analysis and implementation.
Addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra state council after the union’s triennial delegate conference at the Godwin Ezeemo Int’l Press Centre, Awka, yesterday, Hon. Ogene stated that most state governors “closed budget” without giving the details of the amounts budgeted for each ministry and department.
For instance, Ogene stated, when you look at governor’s budgetary allocation to a ministry or parastatal, you will just see ‘Education – N6 billion; Information – N8 billion but the budget would not contain specific amounts appropriate for specified project.
What the budget estimates of the state governments unlike national budget contain according to the member representing Ogbaru federal constituency of Anambra state are mainly sectoral allocations without details of the various projects earmarked for implementation and the amount.
He urged journalist to interrogate budgets of state governments for proper accountability.
“It is disheartening that some state lawmakers do not know the details of the state budget they approve for the governor to implement”, Ogene stated.
He lamented that investigative journalism is dwindling and tasked journalists to sit up, and, be alive to their responsibilities as the watchdog of the society.
The immediate past chairman of the Anambra state council of NUJ, Comrade Emeka Odogwu was re–elected after securing overwhelming 170 votes to defeat his former vice-chairman and only challenger, Comrade Ngozi Obileri who polled 40 votes. Comrade Beatrice Onuchukwu-Ekwueme emerged vice-chairman, including Dr. Okechukwu Onuegbu of Blue-print Newspaper, Secretary.
Odogwu in his speech after the swearing in of his new executive particularly thanked the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo; commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor; Special Adviser on Political Matters, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu for rejecting the pressure to interfere in the council election.
He promised to work hard to uplift the council to greater heights and urged his co-contestant and other members of the council to unite and work for the progress of the council and members’ improved welfare.
