Cleric advocates scrapping of security votes

Emeritus Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of, Ibadan, Most Rev. Felix Alaba Job, has advocated the scrapping of security votes for governors and blockage of other sources through which states’ resources are being wasted.

The retired archbishop said this just as he blamed mismanagement of resources by state governors for their inability to pay workers in their states for months.

Job spoke in an interview with journalists at Oluponna in Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State on Thursday.

He said, “What is security vote?, Security allowance which is not accounted for should be removed. You give money to somebody and the person does not have to give an account of how he spends it. It is absurd. It is a way of institutional icing of corruption.

” If they must have security allowance, they should account for it. This is because there are times there are situations they have to respond to. But they must be made to account for the security votes if they must be given.”

The cleric said many governors spent state’s resources lavishly during the campaign for the last general elections adding that this was the reason for the financial crisis in such states.

He said, “I do not believe that there is any state that can’t pay salaries. Mismanagement caused it.

“During campaign they spent so much money, they should bring back the money they stacked abroad or collect the money back from who are holding them. If those with the money are no longer in government, they should be called back to return the money with them.

” I think the National Assembly should enact a law against something like this.
The finance minister made it public how much was given to each state. Any governor who refuses to pay workers after three months should be made to account for this. ”

Job, while congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari, said he believed the president would not let Nigerians down.

The cleric advised Nigerians to be patient with the new administration while calling on the people to also change, saying this was what was required now.

He said, ” It is not only in reducing the salaries of elected officers that can guarantee us good leadership. Clauses which militate against the progress of the people must be removed from our constitution.

“Paying of spouses of elected officials, especially wives of local government chairmen, wives of governors should be stopped. It is the practice in Nigeria that when a local government chairman is elected or even a governor the state’s resources are spent lavishly on their wives.

“Office of the First Lady is not in our constitution, that should be removed.
Also, lawmakers are paid salaries plus sitting allowances but they still collect constituency allowance, this is odd. This is a way of siphoning our resources and should be stopped.

“All these unapproved sources through which resources are being wasted should be blocked.”