The APC Chairman in Sokoto, Alhaji Sadiq Achida, said the 2023 Budget presented to the State Assembly indicated poor recognition of people’s well-being and improvement of critical sectors across the state.
He made the allegations at a news conference on Tuesday in Sokoto.
He said expenditure of N1.5 billion for vehicles to political office holders, reduplication of projects, N914 million for COVID-19 provisions, and procurement of dilapidated buildings belonging to NICON to the tune of N300 million have negated the priority needs of citizens.
The party chairman noted that seven years of Peoples Democratic Party administration in Sokoto state had recorded high poverty ratings by the National Bureau of Statistics.
According to him, poor attention accorded to health, education, social, and infrastructure development had necessitated the floating of poverty among citizens.
”In the budget, we saw nothing but the misplacement of priorities, a bundle of contradictions aimed at uplifting the personal comfort of political office holders, over and above the provision of essential services to the people.
”It is disheartening that the governor said little, if any, about the performance of the outgoing budget, but rather decided to bury the details of his government’s failures, to avoid public scrutiny,” Achida said.
The party chairman added that the party had aligned with APC lawmakers in the state assembly on the face-off, arising from moves to secure additional loans by the government.
He said the request to secure about N3.5 billion domestic loan was uncalled for as the moves met stiff resistance from APC members of the house.
According to him, based on assembly members’ presentations, a total of N89 billion in loans had been approved by the house since its inauguration after the last elections.
He argued that the expenditures were without commensurate performance to justify further securing of additional loans.
”With the latest request, the APC members insisted that the political heads of the relevant ministries or departments should be invited to brief the house on the desirability of the loans.
”We are calling on the banks approached to be wary as the present government tenure has very few months to leave,” he added.
However, when contacted, the Sokoto state’s Commissioner for Information, Akibu Dalhatu, said the APC misunderstood governance and embarked on mischievous moves against Tambuwal’s administration.
Dalhatu argued that Tambuwal ran transparent and accountable leadership as every amount was being explained with a cogent purpose of spending.
He said the budget was people-centered as all stakeholders were involved from its formulation to execution.
The commissioner said the loans were solicited based on reasons and had direct impacts on infrastructure and people’s well-being in the state.
