CITING illegality, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) at the weekend opposed the proposal by the Federal Capital Territory Administration to spend N4 billion on building the First Ladies Mission office
complex in Abuja this year, as contained in the FCTA’S N253 billion budget for 2013. The controversial issue is still a subject of debate in the Senate.
The ANPP maintained that the matter was a non-issue as the budget for the complex was inherently illegal and should not waste the time of the distinguished senators in their work.
In a statement issued by the ANPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, noted that the fact on ground was that the Federal Government has already declared that the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) “is a non governmental organisation (NGO) and could not be funded with the taxpayers’ money.”
Continuing, the ANPP noted: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to remind Nigerians that in July 2012, the Presidency, while refuting reports that the Federal Government had purchased 200 new exotic cars for the African First Ladies Summit in Abuja, affirmed that AFLPM which was holding its summit in Abuja, is an NGO and its activities are funded by stakeholders and members of the private sector who support and identify with its objectives.
“Therefore, our great party finds it puzzling, absurd and incongruous that another project of the AFLPM could now be smuggled into the budget of the FCT, an undeniable burden to the already burdened citizens of our great nation. This is unpatriotic at best, and corrupt at worst, and should be resisted by the distinguished lawmakers.”
In a statement in Lagos Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said the PDP-controlled Federal Government was now using part of the funds accruing to the programme to empower the party’s cronies ahead of the 2015 polls, instead of using it for the benefit of all Nigerians.
It cautioned SURE-P’s head, Dr. Christopher Kolade, a respectable citizen who is known for his transparency and integrity, not to allow the skewed and partisan implementation of the programme by the Federal Government to tarnish his hard-earned reputation.
‘’Ordinarily, SURE-P seems laudable as it is aimed at the empowerment of the citizens through job creation and infrastructure development, but in reality, PDP apparatchiks have hijacked it for the purpose of empowering only the party’s members.
They have created State Implementation Committees (SICs) to handle the disbursement of SURE-P cash to party members as a strategy to arm them with a war chest ahead of the 2015 elections.
‘’To make matters worse, the PDP is denigrating the traditional institution by using traditional rulers in some states as the conduit to distribute SURE-P funds, ostensibly to empower Nigerians but in reality to put money in the pockets of PDP supporters,’’ ACN said.
The party reminded the Federal Government that only bodies created by law can disburse funds accruing to the Federation Account, and warned that since the SICs are not recognised by the law, it is an illegal body and its operations violated the constitution.