The incoming administration of Rotimi Akeredolu will inherit a debt profile of about N200b, I can reliably report. Monthly salaries of workers stand at N4b and November 2016 allocation was N1.6b, the highest in the last three months. Also, monthly IGR was said to average N700m. Going by this statistics, the incoming govt would need to source for additional N1.7b monthly to pay salaries alone.
The APC led federal government is not having a good time as the country's economy is in recession. Price of crude oil which serves as the mainstay of Nigeria's economy is on the nosedive and quantity produced per day had dropped significantly from 2,800 barrels to about 800 barrels.
Obviously, this is not the best time for Nigeria. Back to Ondo State, my findings revealed that collectors of govt revenues divert and siphon a good percentage of the funds while some indigenes of the State do not pay taxes, for lack of trust in the present government. It's so bad that some of the collectors have their own receipts to collect revenues on behalf of govt. I was a victim, I paid 750,000 to an agency only for 250, 000 to reflect in the govt coffers.
Don't be deceived by e-receipt. If properly monitored, Ondo State is capable of generating close to N1.7b, my view though. To go for loans to run the incoming govt as being speculated in some quarters might not be a good option as the 2016 budget already earmarked N15b for debt servicing and loan repayment, yet our debt profile from loans alone stands at over N120b. Moreover, if we should go for loans, like Aregbesola of Osun State did when he assumed office as governor, Osun may repeat itself here, a situation where a whole State received monthly Federal allocation of N6m due to several deductions.
I hereby call on well meaning indigenes of Ondo State in Nigeria and the diaspora to look in the direction of our dear State and bring in industries and private investments here, to salvage our State and support the incoming administration. I strongly believe that Akeredolu is good-intentioned but this is not enough to turn the fortunes of the State around. For those who are close to him, please advise him not to have too many political appointees. A former governor in the South West once had a Special Adviser on Cosmetics, it was that bad. Somebody told me few days ago that over 5,000 people are expecting appointments from Akeredolu and the rat racing has started already, my advice to these people is to go and find something doing. Let Akeredolu settle down for real work.
The truth is that Akeredolu will either please those who voted him into office or patronise his political constituency, he will have to choose one of the two. And the one he chooses determines what becomes of him in at the end of his first year in office.
He may have to merge some ministries, boards and parastatals. Also, he should be very vigilant as most senior civil servants are conduits of fraud and corruption in the system, some of them built houses that worth tens and hundreds of millions in Alagbaka. Doing the right things in office, I strongly believe Aketi's tenure will orchestrate Ondo's golden era.
Olumide Obadele
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