Governors Should Cut Security Votes/Ludicrous Appointments, Not Salaries

Governors Should Cut

Security Votes/Ludicrous

Appointments, Not Salaries

By Our Correspondents

— Jun 27, 2015 10:36 am | 2 Comments

Some governors across the nation have

been grandstanding about the cut they

authorised in their salaries. They create

the impression that by so doing, they are

being prudent and reducing the cost of

governance. This is obviously a cosmetic

action when compared to the billions of

Naira they take home as Security Vote.

Okezie Ikpeazu and Nasir el-Rufai are

some of the governors that have slashed

their salaries. One of the things eating

deep into the purse of our states is this

unconstitutional Security Vote. Imagine a

governor who pays himself N500 million

monthly as Security Vote, turning around

to say that he has reduced his monthly

salary by a miserable N500,000. They

should simply cancel security votes, stop

frivolous contracts/expenditure and

reduce travels.

These governors who claim to be

interested in cutting cost of governance

have started making all sorts of ludicrous

appointments. All sorts of aides are being

appointed just to satisfy their cronies.

Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom

State has already appointed a Special

Adviser, Religious Affairs. I don’t know

how this will impact on the traumatised

people of Akwa Ibom State. Okezie

appointed three media aides. Borno State

Governor, Kashim Shettima appointed four

media aides, including two for social

media. Shettima also has two Special

Assistants for Special Duties. The Borno

governor went further to request for 40

Special Advisers, but the Borno State

legislators reduced it to 20.

Gov Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari Chairman Nigeria Governors Forum