11th December, 2013
President Goodluck Jonathan has been accused of using the Ecological Fund, set up to address the country’s serious ecological problems, as a tool to further divide the ranks of the nation’s Governors and solidify his reputation as a partisan and sectional leader.
The All Progressives Congress made the allegation in a statement issued in Oyo on Wednesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
The party said President Jonathan’s decision to grant 2 billion Naira each to 17 states, none of which belongs to the main opposition APC and all of which are controlled by Governors deemed to be Jonathan’s supporters, negates what he should be: The leader of the whole nation!
It wondered what kind of coincidence would exclude all the APC-controlled states from being considered for receiving assistance from the Ecological Fund, ”when we have it on good authority that our Governors even sought such assistance”.
”The N2 billion assistance was given to Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Ondo, Plateau, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu and Taraba States.
”Before then, 5 billion Naira had been given to Akwa Ibom State ostensibly for ‘urgent matters’ while 8 billion Naira was given to Anambra for the ‘maintenance of the Niger bridge’, in reality perhaps a slush fund for the stolen gubernatorial election in the state.
”To the best of our knowledge, even if 8 billion naira is not enough to construct a second Niger bridge, it will go a long way. We are yet to see any maintenance to justify such a huge fund that was given for that purpose, further confirming our fears on what the real purpose of that money might have been.
”It is sad that a President whose divisive politics helped to break the ranks of the nation’s State Governors has now graduated to using funds from the Federation Account to dispense favours to Governors he perceives to be his cronies.
”This is the tragedy of a President who was elected on a pan-Nigerian mandate but has now turned himself into a sectional, partisan and most divisive leader in the country’s history,” APC said.