Obinna Uchendu Abakaliki
Ebonyi State government has denied spending a total sum of N1.1bn on wildlife conservation in the last 9 months describing the allegation as untrue, baseless and falls short of investigative journalism.
It would be recalled that few days ago, publication emanated on the social media alleging that the state government has spent N1.1bn on wildlife in nine months less than Health and Water Provisions in its 2024 budget.
In a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, the government frowned at the social media reports which it said felt short of investigative journalism.
Engr Okpor said that the said amount was meant for contingency item which the approved budget has it coded under margin for increase in cost and wildlife conservation.
“The publication is to say the least, not well researched and devoid of any iota of truth. The writer obviously failed to carry out adequate investigations necessary to authenticate his report.
“Without bearing any grudge or prejudice against the author of the publication, but in full understanding of his ignorance, we wish to clarify as follow:
“First, the amount N1.1b recorded against wildlife conservation is an amount meant for contingency item which the approved budget has it coded under MARGIN FOR INCREASE IN COST and not WILDLIFE CONSERVATION.
“If the author has seen it otherwise, it could probably have been a misplacement or typographic error, which the author who rightly asserted that there is no zoo in Ebonyi, should have resorted to rightful authorities for clarification in line with the ethics of journalism.
“Secondly, we wish to clarify that the Approved Budget has a different template from the Quarterly Budget Implementation Report template, and at the point of population of the Quarterly report, which the said publication particularly referred to, the economic code was erroneously imputed.
“In the Approved Budget which the state government spends from, the said amount is under the Contingency Fund.
“It should be clarified also that projects and programmes recorded under Contingency are projects/programmes not envisaged but which came up during budget implementation.
“There’s no actual record in the state where such an amount as reported by the media outlet was spent on WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. That is an error in transmission.
“We therefore wish to urge the general public, particularly those that may have the need to refer to such a document as advanced by the publication to be guided.
“We as Government assure the people that the error will be corrected to reflect the correct economic description when the state produces her Quarter 4 Budget Implementation, which would be made public in January 2025.
“We are ready and well disposed to making a copy of an extract from the state’s Approved Budget available to any interested member of the public for reference purposes.
He also assured that people that the State Governor has remained faithful to its vow of accountability and prudence in the management of the state’s resources.
