BIG NEWS: Abia State Government Refutes Allegations of Governor's N900 Million Spending Spree, Cites Misrepresentation and Highlights Transparency Efforts
Abia State Government Clarifies Expenditure Amidst Controversy Over Governor's Alleged N900 Million Feeding and Welfare Spending
Mary Nwaeze 
By a press statement released on Monday, the Abia State Government vehemently denied reports circulating in the media that Governor Alex Otti had spent over N900 million on feeding and welfare between July and September 2023. The reports alleged that the governor had incurred expenses totaling N927 million within a three-month period on refreshments, meals, honorariums, allowances, and welfare packages.
However, Mr. Kingsley Anosike, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, dismissed the claims as "a reflection of the mindset of the opposition to create mischief." Anosike clarified that the reported expenditure "was not by the governor’s office as alleged, but by the entire ministries, departments, and agencies" (MDAs) in the state.
Addressing the discrepancies in the media reports, Anosike stated, "Following the publication of the Q3 budget report of the Abia State Government, and in line with the government’s commitment to transparency, good governance, and fiscal discipline, it has become necessary to shed more light on the aforementioned report."
SEE: Startling Revelation: Abia State Q3 2023 Budget Reveals Controversial Spending by Governor Otti
He emphasized that the N927 million expenditure did not pertain to the Governor's Office alone, but encompassed spending by the entire government for refreshments, meals, honorariums, allowances, and welfare packages. The Commissioner clarified that the actual amount spent by the government for refreshments and meals during the specified period was N223,389,889.84.
"This figure is for the entire state and not for the Office of the Governor, as being erroneously portrayed. The stated figure covers expenses for special events, such as retreats, conferences, and related events," Anosike explained.:
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In regard to welfare expenditure, he revealed that the Abia State Government had spent N397,520,734.84. This spending, according to Anosike, was in line with the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability Programme—an initiative of the Federal Government. He clarified that the welfare expenditure covered all MDAs and not just the Governor's Office, as wrongly alleged.
"Expenses under welfare deal with issues of health, rehabilitation, and public emergencies," Anosike added.
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Assuring the public of the government's commitment to transparency, Anosike stated, "The state government, under the leadership of Otti, will continue to uphold transparency in governance, as has been demonstrated in the publication of the budget performance report for two consecutive quarters."
He concluded by noting that the reported figure of N927 million was an aggregation of all spending under the specified headline across the 76 MDAs in the state, emphasizing that the presentation in the media was not well captured and completely misrepresented the actual situation.
