Despite his public outcry of bankruptcy in the State treasury and dwindling funds from oil revenue, Delta State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has given the exorbitant sum of N750 million to members of the State House of Assembly for a leadership training jamboree in the United State Of America (USA).
SaharaReporters reliably learned that twenty-nine members of the House, selected aides, and a few directors of the Assembly led by the speaker of the House, Mr. Monday Igbuya, will share the N750 million for the leadership training jamboree billed for 12th October 2015 in the USA.
According to one lawmaker, who refused to give in-depth details of the trip, the training will last for more than two weeks.
"I will not tell you the exact figures that was given to us by the Governor for the training for security reasons. But I will only confide in you that the Speaker and the principal officers will get the lion’s share while other fellow members of the house will get flat shares and the least goes to a few of the selected aides and directors,” he said.
The lawmaker continued, "if the figures should be revealed Deltans will stone us and protest, especially in this era of almost zero allocation. If I must tell you the truth my brother, this is the second time I am attending such training as a lawmaker and the training is actually nothing but a kangaroo training and jamboree. If you say you won’t attend, you will be tagged as the black sheep in the house.”
When asked if he was aware that the Governor released the sum of N750 million for the trip, the lawmaker smiled and simply said in pidgin English "Na my mouth dem go hear say dem catch monkey mother and the pikin run."
Another lawmaker from one of the opposition parties on the jamboree trip, spoke under a condition of anonymity, stated that the lawmakers are not happy with Governor Okowa because of his kind of financial treatment.
"The training for the Delta State lawmakers is an annual event that is carried out shortly after the inauguration of the new Assembly, but if you ask me with the huge sum released so far, which I am not ready to disclose to you, no right thinking and meaningful government will encourage this foreign training during this much talked about dwindling revenue.”
A staff member at the accounts department of the State House of Assembly, who pleaded anonymity, confided in SaharaReporters that the initial amount released for the trip was rejected by the lawmakers because it did not include non-principal officers of the house. The initial amount N4million per member, but this was rejected and the Governor had no option than to bloat the money three times.
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