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The Anambra State Budget Saga
Chidi Anyaeche
In a
democratic setting, budgets are collective responsibilities of the
executive and the legislature. The executive prepares the budget, the
legislature as part of its oversight functions approves it. This is
democracy; this is the norm all over the world. But this appears not to
be the case in Peter Obi’s Anambra State. Governor Obi wants to
harangue the legislature into rubber-stamping his ill prepared budget
and when the legislature wants to exercise its oversight functions,
hell is let loose. Blackmail and intimidation becomes the order of the
day, sound argument looses ground, good fiscal policy is thrown to the
dogs because Governor Obi wants his way at all cost. A man who came to
power against all odds rather than being a champion of democracy is
turning into a demagogue for personal pecuniary reasons. This, in a
nutshell is the cause of the current imbroglio in Anambra state with
respect to 2008 budget approval. Governor Obi has ran out of ideas, out
of sorts, for an office he was and is ill prepared to manage.
Rudimentary trading and not sound management is his stuff.
A
lot of state governments in Nigeria as at date have still not have
their budgets approved by their legislature but more importantly, the
federal government of Nigeria is still negotiating with the national
assembly towards a common ground for the 2008 budget, this should be
the case. Otherwise budgets become a mere paper exercise like in
Ohakim’s Imo state. President Yar’Adua irrespective of his limitations
is exhibiting sound and academic democratic credentials towards the
budgetary saga but not Peter Obi. President Yar’Adua has not marshalled
his cattle Fulani brethrens into intimidating the national assembly but
not so with Governor Obi. Instead of tackling the Anambra legislators
intellectually and with superior logic, Peter Obi has gone to the dogs,
he has gone mad, he has reduced governance of Anambra state to the
gutter. He has resorted to intimidation, to marshalling un-informed and
ignorant traders into intimidating the members of the state house of
assembly to approve his criminal budget. Who loses at the end of the
day but more importantly who gains? Nobody, but Peter Obi but only in
the short term. Posterity will prove Odenigbo right, period.
It
is rather sad that a lot of Anambra indigenes especially those in the
Diaspora are so naïve about facts on the ground, especially those
indigene’s residing in United States. Perusal of their discussions and
articles online confirms just this. It is a pity, it is sad and
Governor Obi is basking on this ignorance and perhaps perpetuating it
by financing most of the articles authored. The authors know who they
are and again posterity will prove me right.
Going
back to the subject matter of this article, what is actually the
situation with regards to Anambra state budget for the fiscal year
2008. For the uninformed, please let us not blame Andy Uba this time
around. Yes, we all know Andy’s antecedent and I for one has been
amongst his ardent opponent. Readers are invited to visit the website: http://thevoicenewsmagazine.com/newsdetails.asp?id=4&cat_id=19 to
see for themselves my stand on the man called Andy Uba. This, my stand
still remains the same as at date. The budget has everything to do with
Peter Obi’s government not understanding the rudiments of a budgetary
process, not understanding governance but most importantly seeking a
way to hoodwink and embezzle the money of the good people of Anambra
state. This is certainly the case.
But
luckily for the good people of Anambra state, Peter Obi did not bargain
on the intellect and dedication to duty of the Chairman, House
Committee on Finance and Appropriation, a US based attorney in the name
of Hon Ikenna Mbazulike Amechi. For the uninitiated, Ikenna is not an
Andy Uba lackey, he has a much better pedigree than Peter Obi but most
importantly by far, by a long mile, more educated than Governor Obi.
Ikenna graduated with an LLB from a leading Nigeria University and
topped that with an LLM from a leading US University and was living and
working comfortably in the US before he chose to come back to Nigeria
to help his people. Ikenna is Peter’s nemesis. Ikenna on-behalf of the
house was able to decipher Peter’s moves and checkmated him. Governor
Obi presented an ill-prepared budget before Ikenna’s committee and when
given all the opportunity in this world to defend it resorted to
blackmail, for blackmail is his stock-in-trade, the way he use to
blackmail custom officers in his days as an importer, the way he is
continually blackmailing his deputy, the Rt Hon Dame Virgy Etiaba.
As a
way out for Governor Obi, Ikenna’s committee has met him halfway, they
have re-packaged his budget into what is practical since he and his
executive are intellectually capable of doing so. Ikenna’s committee
have reduced his budget from Eighty Four Billion Naira, which is
impractical (Just like Governor Ohakim’s) to circa Fifty Billion Naira
that is somehow albeit practical, but Governor Obi will not accept it
and has resorted to cheap blackmail to get his way. This, good people,
is the cause of the current situation in Anambra state.
For
the records and you read it here first, Governor Obi will not be
seeking re-election come 2010 for he has achieved his goal in politics,
which is to amass as much wealth as he can, which comes at the expense
of the electorate. He has done just that.
I
will once again use this article to remind Governor Obi of his mantra:
“The society we are abusing today will take revenge on our children
tomorrow”. Peter reflect on this your mantra.
Odenigbo Chidi Anyaeche
London
UK
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Authors 
Posted by Robot| 08.04.2008 21:59