Governor Ohakim’s Phantom Budget

Chidi Anyaeche

Going back to the original figure of N87.302 billion naira as presented by governor Ohakim and christened “Budget of Great Opportunity” one wonders what opportunity this phantom budget will present to the long suffering people of Imo State . Phantom in the sense that this figure is totally unrealistic; an illusion. Imo State cannot and will not generate half of that figure let alone the N90 billion naira finally approved by the hoodlums in the House of Assembly. Governor Ohakim’s 2008 budget is 100 percent greater than the 2007 budget of his predecessor, Achike Udenwa. Udenwa’s 2007 budget was N43.4 billion naira and that again, though sensible, proved a tough figure to generate let alone Ohakim and co’s N90 billion naira target. Kano State that statutorily get a lot more revenue from the Federal government due to political and other reasons have a budget of N71 billion naira for 2008 fiscal year.

Virtually every state in Nigeria is dependent on the federal government for circa 95% of its revenue and that includes Imo state. Infact a civil service state like Imo may have dependency percentage approaching 99. For year 2007, total federal government stipend to Imo state amounted to circa N35 billion naira (source: www.budgetoffice.gov.ng), with federal government 2008 budget anchored at $53.83 USD per barrel at 2.45 million barrels per day less the Niger Delta factor, it is therefore a logical conclusion that Imo state will struggle to realize N45 billion naira in total from the federation account. Internally generated revenue is almost non-existent in Imo state bar taxes from civil servants.

The very generous calculation of N45 billion naira that Imo state should earn for the whole of 2008 fiscal year is 48% less than the N87 billion naira that Governor Ohakim is hawking about. In effect, Ohakim has failed before starting.

A further breakdown of Ohakim’s budget shows a sectoral allocation of N52.8 billion naira alone to capital projects and recurrent expenditure of N34.4 billion naira. The capital projects allocation of N52.8 billion naira is more than the total income that will be accruable to Imo state for the whole of 2008 fiscal year. What does this indicate? Nothing but failure in all aspects of Ohakim’s governance. Failure to plan properly is planning to fail. Ohakim has planned to fail the people of Imo state.

Going from the above analysis, one begins to wonder what manner of people or rather animals that govern Nigeria . That is why in Nigeria nothing works, that is why Imo state under Ohakim will not be any different from the Imo state of Achike Udenwa. Udenwa’s Imo state may even be better than Ohakim’s, for at least Udenwa’s 2007 budget was more realistic than Ohakim’s illusionary, deceitful and idiotic 2008 budget. One again, wonder how none of the circa 30 hooligans that are members of Imo State House of Assembly figured out that the 2008 budget they approved is criminal. No member of Ohakim’s cabinet dissented. This is shameful. This is a sin. 

However, I will say that this budgetary rascality is not unique to Imo state; it is the same from the federal government to all state and local governments. Budgets in Nigeria are illusionary; they are not based on hard facts, figures and situation on the ground. Budgets are mere paper exercises designed to fail from onset. The politicians are not interested in good governance; they are only interested in deceit. The budget rascality is a plan for massive looting of their respective treasuries and all of them; the executive, the legislators, the party hierarchy are all in cahoots. That is why none of them dissent. The so-called politicians in Nigeria are a bunch of criminals, armed and pen robbers that have hijacked power. The scenario in Nigeria is akin to armed robbers operating a bank.

I have singled out Imo state under Ohakim as an example of irresponsible leadership, irresponsible government and irresponsible governance for irrespective of how he came to power. I thought he might make a difference. Chris Ngige came to power through the back door but the man made a difference, so much difference that makes the current occupant of government house Awka look stupid. The way of the Lord is different from the way of man. The Lord brought out Ngige for a purpose and being the Lord of good that he is, allowed the current incumbent to ride on but has sent out a message. This however, is for another day.  

I have singled out Ohakim for after reading his presentation titled “Ima Onwe” at the 13^th World Igbo

Congress in Detroit, Michigan on September 01, 2007, I thought to myself that Imo state have at last found an Ngige. That rightful Igbo leaders are slowly emerging, that one by one they will congregate in numbers sufficient enough to tackle the Igbo question firstly and the Nigerian question when due. Hence, I kept an eagle eye on Ohakim, monitoring his moves and dives. Hear Ohakim in that presentation:

“Permit me, brothers and sisters to speak to you frankly, and as I usually do, from the heart. Annually, when we leave Nigeria in great numbers to attend the World Igbo Congress, our neighbours and competitors in Nigeria are usually in great discomfiture, believing that Ndigbo have gone to strategize on how to overcome the Nigerian encumbrance.

But sadly, it is usually not so, in the sense that we do not set achievable but measurable short term, medium term and long term goals…”

I thought to myself, here is the man who understands matrices and indices, targets goals and how to achieve them and deliver good governance. This is the man. Neither did I know that the man Ohakim is a clown going by his 2008 budget, the first major task he has undertaken since coming to power.

Governor Ohakim went on to posit:

 
“If we know our selves we would be inspired by the story Dr Francois Duvalier, then a post-graduate medical student at the University of Michigan, this very state we are today, told another great Igbo son, an “unrepentant nationalist” and Pan Africanist, Dr Okechukwu Ikejiani who passed away in Canada in the early hours of Sunday 19 August 2007. Dr Duvalier, who later became President of Haiti, and popularly known as Papa Doc, told Ikejiani that the Haitians were of Igbo origin….”

 
Papa Doc as we all know was a calamity as president of Haiti and I beg to disagree that such a calamity is an Igbo man. For Governor Ohakim to be inspired by the likes of Papa Doc indicates that Imo state will be like Haiti by the time he vacates office. I should have gathered this earlier by this his presentation.

 
Governor Ohakim further concluded in that his dubious presentation thus:

 
“Here today, we burn and consign to the dustbin of history, the memory and guilty legacy of the civil war, so that unbound and set free, we may pursue the Igbo dream….”

 May the good people if Imo state via the Electoral Tribunal burn and consign to the dustbin of history, the dubious legacy Ikedi Ohakim’s government want to leave behind, going by his 2008 budget and glorifying of Papa Doc. Imo state will not and will never be a Haiti .

Chidi Anyaeche

Robot  # 1 | 05.01.2008 19:57

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