Having read a write up by Senator Dino Melaye on Kogi state 2017 budget, one will but wonder if indeed Dino Melaye is a graduate of the great Ahmadu Bello University. His write up was a gross display of cluelessness which is simply curable if questions were asked. Dino Melaye is still representing us so let me on that ground cure his ignoramus behavior.

We are doing 66% capital expenditure and 34% recurrent expenditure.  It takes a lot of political will to achieve this. We must commend His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello for this courage. We have never had it so good since the creation of the state.

His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello has made it clear that he is directing capital expenditure on critical infrastructure with special emphasis on the five thematic areas in The New Direction Blueprint, viz: Education, Health, Job Creation and Youth Engagement, Infrastructure and Utilities and Public Sector and Pension Reforms.

*LUGARD HOUSE:

On 24.9 Billion voted for the running of Luggard House, N7.5b is for social investment Programme that is targeted at touching lives of at least one million poor and highly impoverished kogites on monthly basis. We have similar intervention programmes under presidency at the federal level.

N1.5b is meant for youth empowerment across the 239 wards of Kogi State. Youths will be trained and empowered on monthly basis.

N8b is meant for security vote. We need this money to secure kogi state. Kogi State is bounded by 10 states and FCT therefore making it prone to criminal activities. You don’t prepare for a football match during the competition, you prepare before the competition.

Government house is responsible for paying all the cleaning service providers to all MDAs and Lokoja environs hence the N800m. why the noise? Which of these items is (are) not desirable?

*AGRICULTURE:

It is sad that Senator Dino Melaye wants us to do things the old way and expect a different result. What makes a leader is ability to think creatively in situations of difficulty. We have voted more than N7b for agriculture and have made arrangements to attract more that 40b investment to agriculture through public private partnership. This is a creative step in the New Direction of the Executive Governor of Kogi State.

The Maputo Declaration mandates Federal and State government to allocate 10% of its yearly budget for Agric sector but in Kogi State with a total of 47b we are doing about 27% to the agriculture sector.

*EDUCATION:

We have voted over N24b into educational development in 2017 proposed budget and this is for the total overhauling of the education sector in Kogi State. Construction and equipping of our school to meet international standard. Provision of all basic needed materials towards enhancing conducive learning environment.

*HEALTH:

We have voted close to N10b for health delivery system in the state. Our Hospitals and Health Centers will be upgraded and equipped with Standard Machines and Equipment. Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello has made it clear that “The Health of all Kogites is a priority”. More Health Centers will be constructed in line with International Standard across the 21 Local Government Areas.

*FINANCE:

N530m is meant to insure Kogi State property against fire which is high level of wisdom when compared to the cost of reconstruction when even one of the property gets burnt.

N2.5b is meant for the recapitalization of Kogi Savings and Loans. Kogi Savings and Loans is a Mortgage Bank established basically for the creation of Mortgages. This will empower the bank to deliver affordable house to civil servants and citizens of the state. It will also empower the bank to source for funds for the creation of Mortgages.

Senator Dino Melaye must not forget that without a roof over his head he will not think of buying those cars in his compound.

N1.5b is a savings (Stabilization fund) for raining day. No Wise Government spends all its money.

N1b is meant for the construction of treasury house. Treasury house will house Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Sub-Treasury and other related financial MDAs.

N1.5b is meant for the payment of consultancy fee for the people that helped worked out the details of our Paris club refund. We will be getting N44b from this refund incase Dino don’t know. Why is the noise? The practice anywhere in the world is 10% payment for any recovery but we are doing just 3.3% from my calculation. GYB is not only creative, he is creatively disciplined and effective in cost reduction.

*DEPUTY GOVERNOR’S OFFICE:

Travel and transport is N120.5m.This is even lower than 2016 estimate.

N100m for Upkeep of deputy governor’s office for one year. When you divide 100m by 12months you will get 8.3 Million monthly. Is 8.3 Million too much or too small for the Deputy Governor Office for monthly expense?

N100m for construction of Kogi State Emergency Warehouse while N200 is meant to purchase relief materials in case of emergency

*SSG:

N1.9b for payment of salaries and allowances of all political office holders.

N124.2m is meant for security and executive meeting

N450m for Kogi SIEC

N120m for the office of SA on donor agencies, Multilateral and special projects

N100m for security trust fund

120m for renovation and furnishing SSG office

N100m for political office holder’s annual retreat

N250m for the construction and landscaping of the official residence of the SSG.  I wondered if Dino did his analysis before writing his article or someone did. If someone did, am I sure he reviewed before releasing the write up? So what’s extraordinary in this budget?

*HEAD OF SERVICE BUDGET:

 Over N500m is for salaries of some civil servants who receive their salaries through the office of head of service

N1b is for purchase of vehicles for Ministries, Department and Agencies of government

N200m is to renovate the dilapidated Staff Training Centre. Staff Training Centre is where Civil Servants get trained. It is also where they write their promotional examination and it is a place for the general development of those in Civil Service. No civil Servant can deliver beyond what they know. GYB is committed to training and retraining of our civil servants for maximum productivity.

N85m is meant for automating the human resources management .It will help with productivity as truancy will be checked. It will serve as a data base where information of all civil servant can be access anytime,anywhere and by anyone. Civil servants can also check on their current status. It will help processing of pension and gratuity without stress or bribing anyone for processing.

N200m for staff training

*ROADS:

We have budgeted over N40b for construction of roads and houses across the 21 local government areas of Kogi State.

2017 Budget has stopped Dino from turning Kogi state into an Elephant he can share.

Dino Melaye is known all over Nigeria and the world at large for his notorious nature. He is legislator whose life style is irreconcilably different from his legitimate earnings. I, Tosin Jide, Challenge Dino to show me one project he has done for the people he is representing. I have never seen a heartless Demonic man who buys different type of cars only to pack it in his garage when his community is struggling with clean water.

Senator Dino Melaye, please tell me how much you have collected as constituency allowance in 19 months? What have you done with it?

We will never be cowed into working with someone who does not have the interest of the state at heart but his selfish interest. Kogi State is no longer a State where people like Dino will want to control. Governance is not about shouting or speaking English language it is about service delivery.

It is clear that Dino has decided to serve as a distraction but I can assure him that we are known for unshaken victory. He is inconsequential on our journey towards a New Direction.

Finally , we are most sorry we sent the wrong phone number to the National Assembly.

God bless Kogi State.

God bless Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello

 Tosin Jide