Strip governors of ecological funds – Ex-security adviser tells Buhari 

A former security adviser in Bayelsa State, Perekeme Kpodoh, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to stop releasing ecological funds to the governors, for failing to use the money allocated for projects required to mitigate flood disasters in their domains.

Kpodoh argued that the recurrent destructive effects of floods across the country were enough evidence that ecological funds were being diverted by governors.

Kpodoh in a statement in Yenagoa on Tuesday, said the failures of the governors to plan against flood, had led to the loss of lives, destruction of properties, farmlands and displacement of millions from their homes because of unmitigated flood disasters.

Kpodoh lamented that the governors were hiding under the immunity cover provided in the constitution to recklessly divert ecological funds and perpetrate other financial misdeeds.

He said it was high time the Presidency, National Assembly and Civil Society Organisations worked together to shred the veil of immunity encouraging governors’ misdemeanours in governance, to enable the people hold them accountable.

He advised President Muhammadu Buhari to send ecological funds directly to flood-prone communities to help them embark on projects including the construction of high-rise assembly points in their areas to deal with the recurrent disaster.

The security expert called on Buhari to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to probe the governors’ diversion of the ecological funds.

Kpodoh said: “The governors must be compelled to account for the ecological funds allocated to them by the Federal Government. These funds are supposed to be used for projects necessary to mitigate the negative effects of floods.

“Despite collecting these billions of naira, we have not seen what these governors are doing with the money. Every year floods remain the same. Innocent people are swept away, properties are destroyed, houses are submerged and farmlands are wasted.

“We cannot continue like this. It is high time the Presidency, the National Assembly and civil society groups worked together to remove the immunity clause covering these governors and making them unaccountable.

“We are also calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to compel the EFCC and the ICPC to probe these governors and the diversion of funds allocated to them to solve ecological problems like flooding”.