A human rights group, Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (Centrep), has scored high the President Muhammadu Buhari and the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el- Rufai, on their achievements so far in the last one hundred days in office. Centrep, however, gave the administration of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, a low rating saying that for Okowa, it has been 100 days of business as usual, of commotion in governance of the state and reminiscent of the television drama series, Fuji House of Commotion.
In a press statement signed by Centrep Executive Director, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, a human rights lawyer, the organization noted that the score card of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 100 days in office is very high in terms of his anti-corruption crusade, fight against impunity and insecurity as he has used the 100-day period to tirelessly lay the foundation of a new and a prosperous Nigeria.
Ikimi said: “President Muhammadu Buhari’s 100 days in office as President is rated very high in terms of his anti-corruption crusade, fight against impunity and insecurity.
“I equally score Governor el-Rufai of Kaduna State high as he has used the stated period to begin massive reconstruction of his state for the benefit of future generation.
“However, in Delta State my score card for Governor Okowa is low as it had been a 100 days of business as usual. To put it succinctly Governor Okowa’s 100 days of in office has been 100 days of commotion in governance of the state, reminiscent of the television drama series, Fuji House of Commotion.”
As stated by the statement, after Okowa’s first public outcry of inherited N637 billion debt profile with a call on Deltans to be ready to make sacrifices necessary to put the state on path of economic recovery, he took a loan of N10 billion from a commercial bank without the approval of the state House of Assembly.
Carpeting Okowa for his over bloated appointment of over 100 political aides, despite his outcry of dwindling economy in the state, Ikimi noted that the common feature of the appointments made so far by Okowa was that of duplicity of job description and functions, and dissipation of public funds.
“For instance, Okowa has a Chief Press Secretary, a Communications Manager, four Press Secretaries for electronic media, Social Media, print media and community newspaper, all doing the same job of image laundering for the governor, while the state is saddled with a debt burden of N647 billion or more," Ikimi noted.
“Within 100 days in office, Okowa has appointed 12 civil commissioners as his first batch of commissioners in the state and over 100 political aides either as special advisers, special assistants, project directors and personal aides, including a 30-man advisory and peace committee headed by Professor Sam Oyovwaire, a former Minister of Information."