Rt. Hon. Eteng Williams Facilitate Budget of “Infinite Transposition”, See highlights on MDAs

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Peter Bassey|12 January 2017

At the close of day 4, a total of 13 MDA's appeared before the Rt. Hon. Eteng Williams' Finance and Appropriation Committee of the 8th Cross River State House of Assembly to defend the 2017 Appropriation Bill tagged "BUDGET OF INFINITE TRANSPOSITION"

They include:

1. Information and Orientation

2. Works

3. Special Duties

4. Transport

5. Education

6. Environment

7. Sport Commission

8. Lands

9. Due Process

10. Chieftaincy

11. International Donor

12. Local Government Service Commission

13. Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission.

The following are major highlights of some ministries in day's proceedings. Excerpt:

#EDUCATION: Secondary Education Board, "in spite of the recession, we exceeded our IGR projection, and so far we were able to have addressed certain issues of future interest…"

#SPORTS COMMISSION : "some cabal have hijacked the Calabar Sport Club and the Calabar Golf Course which statutorily is a government facility…"

#LANDS: "so much encroachment on government land especially in Ogoja LGA, and we lack the man power to take control of this issue…"

#DUE PROCESS : "we had over 240% increase above our projected IGR, yet we have no impress from the government to run the office, that's why we levied SUBEB contractors…"

#INTERNATIONAL DONOR: "we have 41% achievements in terms of seeking for funding with a major challenge of counterpart funding on our part as a state. We are not complaining because we have learned to put our souls above our challenges…"

# LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICE COMMISSION: "we are not responsible for teachers salaries. We also share in their pains…."

#CROSIEC: "We are ready to conduct local government elections…."

Summarily, the challenge of science and education board was that of a question of superiority since they have a Chairman and an Executive Secretary thus resulting to the House refusal to allow them defend their budget, that of Due Process was their inability to follow due process in generating revenue, hence resulting to illegally collections of monies from SUBEB contractors.

Meanwhile, SUBEB budget was too brief a document to deduce any seriousness in respect to functionality, as members frown about their inability to pay teachers.

As a commission, CROSIEC  is on autopilot, as there have no choice than to conduct elections on or before March this year. Anything short of that may result to loss of local government allocation meant for the state from federal government coffers vis-a-viz the Independent National Electoral Commission will be mandated to do so on-behalf of CROSIEC. Also worthy of note is the fact that it is now illegal to constitute caretaker committee or allow head of local government to take charge as the Supreme Court had earlier describe such arrangement as the constitution of illegality as in the case of Ekiti State.

Peter BASSEY
Writes from Calabar
peterenyievi@gmail.com