Gov Yahaya Bello

Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

A nongovernmental organisation, the Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution has described failure of Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration in Kogi to conduct local government election in the last four years as indicative of lack of transparency and accountability in the State.

Comrade Idris Miliki, the Executive Director of the organisation stated this at the 6th Quarterly Review meeting organised for media and CSOs on Anti Corruption, Transparency and Accountability, by in partnership with Shehu Musa Yar’adua foundation in Lokoja on Tuesday.

Comr. Miliki also said it as unacceptable for Government House Administration to gulp about 48 per cent of the 2020 estimated budget when in real sense it is not a revenue generating organization, about the people, but few individuals.

He urged the media and the civil society organizations to help in tracking accountability by being at the vanguard of anti corruption and transparency in the state.

Miliki equally berated the State for not having a state owned television Station, a situation which he said was indicative of lack of adequate attention to the media industry.

Comr. Miliki pointed out that in spite of the several billions of naira accruing to both the state and local governments, issues of accountability and openness in budgeting process still leave much to be desired.

The Executive Director described the 2020 Kogi budget as a photocopy of 2019 budget, lamenting that for an incoming administration that is expected to succeed itself in a few days time, the budget did not make provision for new items.

Comr. Miliki urged the Kogi State House of Assembly to be responsible to the people and not to the Executive arm of government.

He frowned at what he described as  the ‘rubber stamp nature’ of the  lawmakers, lamenting that they could not add or subtract from the budget presented to them in 2020.