How A’Ibom lost out from N43bn FG grants to states – Udom
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Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, has said that dirty politics that engulfed the State House of Assembly in 2018 was responsible for loss of N48 billion grants by the Federal Government to states in federation.
Although he did not give details of how the state lost out in the Federal Government largesse, he maintained that the political imbroglio that engulfed the state Assembly was the only factor that worked against the state from benefitting in the grant.
Governor Udom disclosed this on Friday during the inauguration of 20-man COVID-19 Economic Reconstruction Committee at Government House headed by the former Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo, Prof.Akpan Ekpo.
He recalled that the passage of the 2018 budget by House of Assembly was delayed owing to the political crisis of the time where three former PDP lawmakers who defected to another political party wanted to change the leadership of the Assembly.
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Udom while inaugurating the Post COVID-19 Economic Committee said the coronavirus has affected the global economy such that there is need to chart new ways to boost the economy of the state without depending on oil revenue.
He listed 9-point terms of reference for the Committee and charged them to be at liberty to co-opt any expert across the globe to assist in meeting the target.
According to the governor, the committee is saddled with the responsibility to make recommendations for a strong social re-orientation programme for the citizens of Akwa Ibom State across board, thus the need to unlearn old mindsets, adopt new ones and see the value of life beyond what others see.
He tasked the Committee to design a workable formula towards restoring basic livelihood even if only at subsistence level.
He said members of the Committee who were drawn from Corporate Sector, Government, Medium Scale Enterprises and the Academic will among others things ” guide the state government in the formulation of policy framework necessary to create a viable economy Post COVID-19.
He charged members of the Committee to identify and explore ways and means of sourcing funds and attracting investment partners with comfortable terms, locally, nationally and internationally in the realisation of every identifiable revenue generating projects.
According to him, the Committee will “state the frame or gestation of each of the income generation project and establish the interconnectedness apart from providing input materials from one to another in the value chains of each of projects.
The governor said the Prof Ekpo-led reconstruction committee would also develop a priority list of economic Re-Construction projects, and establish the sequence of prerequisites best order of implementation, segmented in series and parallel as well as indicate the duration of each segment.
The committee which has one month to submit its report to the Governor would also state measurable sources indicators of sustainable socioeconomic growth and development of Akwa Ibom State with little or no revenue from oil.
