Ugwanyi asked to explain expenditure of N136 billion in one year

Enugu State Collectives, ESC, has asked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi to explain how he spent about N136.04 billion either borrowed or generated in the last one year.
The state government received N59.6 billion from the Federation Account, while the state House of Assembly approved loan requests N58.36 billion for the governor just as it generated N18.08 billion from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, within the same period, bringing the total fund available to it to about N136.04 billion within the same period.
The House of Assembly approved the loans in three tranches of N14.207 billion, N30 billion and N14.16 billion for Governor Ugwanyi, bringing the total amount borrowed to N58.36 billion.
However, in a statement in Enugu, the Chairman of ESC, Chief Ndubisi Ogbu lamented the huge loan borrowed by the state government without tying it to specific projects.
Ogbu further said that the loans being owed did not include huge debts owed to primary school teachers, local government staff as well as retired and serving civil servants some of who were six months arrears of salaries.
“As a government which was voted to power by the masses, the people of Enugu State deserve explanations from the Governor on how public fund is spent.
“The Governor had shortly after assuming office requested the House to approve N14.207 billion as presented to it by the Enugu State Executive Council which was granted.
“The loan was said to have been designed to ease financial difficulties in payment of workers salary arrears, development of infrastructure as well as payment of pensions and gratuity of workers who had not received their entitlement in the past 15 years.
“The bulk of those who were being owed their retirement benefits are teachers as well as civil servants in the various parastatals, agencies and departments.
“Again, the House also asked the government to borrow additional N30 billion while latest approval for another loan of N14.16 billion was last month.
”We recall that the immediate past administration of ex-governor Sullivan Chime was alleged to have left a debt- profile (both domestic and external) of N62.8 billion.
“It is clear from this that the future of our children and great grandchildren have been mortgaged by these huge debts and we need explanations on what is happening,” Ogbu stated.