PDP urges NASS to channel N10bn presidential fund to Kogi workers

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the National Assembly to invoke its statutory powers and directly channel the N10.069 billion Presidential funds for payment of salaries and pensions of suffering Kogi workers and pensioners.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday tabled a request for the N10 billion funds before the National Assembly for Kogi State, as settlements for projects executed by the state on behalf of the Federal Government.

The request is coming a few days after the Federal Government declared that states would not get refund for projects they might have executed on behalf of the federal government.

But the PDP, in a statement Tuesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said it’s scandalous that the Buhari Presidency, with its claims of transparency and integrity, would seek to mislead the National Assembly by asserting that the fund was for projects done by the state government on behalf of the Federal Government.

The main opposition party said in reality, no one could point to any such projects executed by Governor Yahaya Bello in the last four years.

The party described as endorsement of corruption and inexcusable injury to the people of Kogi state, for the President to seek to direct funds to the Kogi governor for phantom projects while neglecting the workers many of who are owed salaries and pension in arrears of 36 months.

“Such action by Mr. President further confirms that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is directly in league with Governor Yahaya Bello to strangulate the people of Kogi state”, the PDP said.

The party insisted that the funds were being pushed to the governor for anti-people purposes and challenged the Presidency to name and point to the particular projects executed by the governor, as well as make the terms and payment agreements public for Nigerians to see.

Continuing, the PDP said, “If the Buhari Presidency means well for Kogi state, it should reword its request and put the interest of the masses ahead of all selfish and parochial political considerations, particularly as the state approaches a critical election in which the people have made up their minds to vote out Governor Yahaya Bello.

“Mr. President cannot claim to be unaware of the critical situation of workers in Kogi state. He cannot claim to be unaware that workers in Kogi state are being owed, in some cases up to 36 months, and that retirees and seniors are dying over nonpayment of their pensions after giving the best of their lives in public service”.

The party urged the President to resist attempts by his handlers and Governor Bello to drag his Presidency into a shameful attempt to steal funds that ought to go to the suffering masses in Kogi state.

It also charged the federal legislature to be on the side of the people by applying its legislative instruments to commence an immediate investigation into the alleged squandering of over N700 billion Kogi state funds by the Bello administration in the last four years.

The PDP called on the people of Kogi state as well as financial watch organisations to be at alert and monitor all disbursement of funds to Kogi state and ensure that Governor Bello and the APC do not achieve their aim of diverting the N10.069 billion for their selfish purposes.