Ogona Anita
A member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Etche Constituency I, Hon. Ignatius Obenachi Onwuka, has broken his silence on the controversial ₦350 million reportedly released to lawmakers for constituency projects.
He however, said that the amount was only part of the N1-billion each of the legislators was expecting for their constituency projects for the year.
The lawmaker who made the revelation during a ward meeting with his constituents, while confirming that the lawmakers indeed received the funds, explained that the amount was grossly inadequate to execute the projects earlier earmarked across their constituencies.
According to him, each lawmaker was originally billed to receive a total of ₦1 billion to fully implement constituency projects, with the ₦350 million serving only as an initial tranche.
He alleged that the remaining ₦650 million was expected to be released by the Rivers State Government upon the Governor’s resumption after the state of emergency but that this has not happened.
The lawmaker further claimed that despite the state allegedly having over ₦600 billion at its disposal, the Governor has refused to release the balance, thereby stalling several projects, including his own in Etche Constituency I.
Onwuka disclosed that the funding shortfall was one of the major reasons behind the lawmakers’ impeachment move, which he described as a collective decision taken by the Assembly leadership.
“As it stands now, my constituency project is stalled because the ₦350 million cannot successfully cover the scope of work,” he added. (Nigerian Tribune)
