Daniel laments leaving Ogun with N49bn debts

Details: Category: Politics; Published on Thursday, 26 May 2011 08:11; Written by Admin; Hits: 613

The out-going Governor of Ogun, Chief Gbenga Daniel, has lamented that despite his efforts at taking the state to a greater height, he was constrained to leave her in N49,232,597,163.67 debts. Daniel stated this while receiving a compendium of financial statements of the state from 2003 to 2010 as well as the government’s cash flow from January to March 31, 2011, from the state Accountant-General (AG), Mr. Seye Senfuye.

The ceremony was a valedictory State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta yesterday. According to him, his administration had done what was expected of it in terms of infrastructural and human capital development. The financial statements showed that the state government owes N49, 232,597,163.67 as at March 31, 2011, including cash-based liabilities of N26, 453,260,717.13 and contingent liabilities at N22, 779,336,446.54.

Daniel, who said his administration had done its best, lamented that his efforts were thwarted by what he described as insensitivity and un- cooperative attitude of some members of the state House of Assembly. The Assembly members, according to Daniel, failed to approve his moves to access bond from the capital market. Daniel commended the AG and his team for working tirelessly to publish the state’s statements of accounts and challenged them to distribute the public document to all agencies and parastatals including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and several others.

“We had always insisted that we have an efficient civil service in Ogun State. I’m not so sure if any of our first class banks can present a result that is better than this and to think that this is a product of the service. I’m proud as I retire from Ogun State public service. “You have to print as many copies as possible so that everybody here can have a copy and not only that, I challenge you to distribute it round, ICPC office, EFCC office, Federal Government, ministers, embassies, everywhere so that people who want to ask questions, you can just say go to page 42 and go and see how the economy of Ogun State in 2009 was deflated as a result of the behavior of certain people who are supposed to be stakeholders.”

He said that his administration took the initiative of publishing the document for the people to understand how well the resources of the state had been managed. He said:” Everything we have done with your resources are here in this compendium. The architects of the crisis and the people who supported them got us to this stage. At the time we are at the heat of the crisis, you became political victim; you were mooted when you are supposed to be agitated.

“We have taken the state to the step of stability. Quite on the contrary, we did what we are supposed to do in Ogun State.”
The AG added that the financial statements between 2003 and 2010 were audited while the January to March 2011 cash flow incorporated in the compendium was unaudited. Mr. Senfuye said that his office is prepared to answer any questions that might arise from the accounts of the state, adding that there was no executive interference in the preparation of the document.

“We are prepared to answer any question that may arise concerning the accounts of the state. That is why by God’s guidance, we decided that the account of the state from 2003 to 2010, even up to March 2011 unaudited is included in the compendium.” (Daily Sun)