By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Information and Strategy Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Comrade Ini Ememobong has said that the recent constitutional amendment which delineates office of the Accountant General of the Federation from that of the Federal Government, would forestall some unpleasant mix-up in use of resources.
Ememobong also expressed concerns that recent letters exchanging between the NIgeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is not very palatable as the nation is yet to feel commensurate increase in available resources to the federation account despite the increase in oil price.
The Information Commissioner spoke in Uyo on Wednesday, while fielding questions from journalists.
His words, “The letters exchanging between CBN and NNPC have not been very palatable because we have not seen commensurate increase in available resources to the federation account despite the increase in oil price.
“That is why I am excited with the amendment in the constitution to delineate the office of the accountant general of the federal government from the office of the accountant general of the federation. So that the treasury of the federation would be different from the treasury of the federal government. So that the money of the federation would not be used without recourse to states,” he said.
On the performance of Governor Udom Emmanuel in terms funds management, the Information Boss attributed Governor Udom Emmanuel’s significant achievements to his prudent management of resources.
Ememobong, who was the former Publicity Secretary of PDP in state, said the governor could only navigate through economic recession and Covid-19 setbacks because of his strong background and wealth of experience as a financial manager.
He expressed optimism that seven years without such major setbacks, and with Emmanuel on the saddle, Akwa Ibom would have witnessed more remarkable transformations across every sector of the state’s economy.
The former NANS President who recalled how Governor Emmanuel successfully paid staff salary for six months during the economic recession, without taking a bailout, said it remains a miracle how the governor maintains regular payment of salary even when federal allocation may be delayed for weeks.
“The governor has done well, but could have done better if he had more resources, if Covid-19 had not come and if we did not have to go through economic recession.
“His greatest achievement, away from peace is the ingenuity in the management of resources. Why do I say so? There are times when the federation account meeting ends in fiascos and they shift it to one or two weeks into the new month, but salaries are paid. Whereas there are some other states that until the allocation from the federation account drops, they cannot pay salary.
“Recently I traveled to the East, even if you were sleeping, you feel the difference as soon as you step out of Akwa Ibom, you begin to feel bumps on the way.
“That must come from many years as an investment banker, many years as public sector finance manager, many years of deep thinking. How he was able to pay salary during the first six months of his administration without taking a bailout is still an economic magic, how we were able to manage the economy and still do road construction.
“For example look at the road from Ikot Oku Ikono down to East West road with all the spurs as the result of community pressure. You can’t finish that road in one hour, driving at 150km. The road infrastructure in Akwa Ibom is solid. This is as the result of harmonious continuation of policies,” Ememobong added.
Asked about what informed his ongoing training of over 30 staff of the Ministry in Chinese language, about 13 on American Sign Language, as well as some specialized trainings in Dubai and the United Kingdom, Ememobong said the step was to update, equip civil servant to handle some of the tasks hitherto entrusted to foreigners, and to ensure integration of Akwa Ibom people, including the deaf community.
“I am a staunch believer in the concept that except you arm someone, you cannot criticize his performance, the media is an evolving profession, so you must train the people to meet up. If these are the media people of Government, they must be able to evolve along with the evolution of the media.
“I must thank His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel for his support. He has a drive for human capital development. Akwa Ibom is becoming an investment destination, the chinese are here, Turkish are here, Americans have been here. And when a contract is to be signed, they are mostly written in Chinese and we rely on external interpreters, how do you trust them?” He queried.
