In the last eight (8) months, the cynical and desperate Post Election Loss Disorder cases have showcased their ignorance or Mischief in the art of Governance, Public Policy, Budgeting and Fiscal Policy. It is a further manifestation that Abia State in the recent past was governed by accidental leaders who had no business being in Government.
It is worrisome that people who sat in class for 4 years or more of higher education and learning, took a course on research methodology at some point and completed a thesis as a precondition for the award of a degree, can exhibit such crass ignorance for 8 months without attempting to understand the subject matter.
It assumed an embarrassing status that people who sat at the State Executive Council Meetings, headed Ministries which prepared and defended Budgets, even more shameful when a ‘seasoned’ banker who served as an Honourable Commissioner for Finance can exhibit and sustain for a long 8 months such ignorance or mischief in the understanding of Budgeting and Budget.
I can forgive the fugitive in Scotland for his ignorance in the language and letters of Budget and Budgeting because he has never sat in a State Executive Council Meeting even at the Local Government Level or served as an appointee of Government and can therefore continue advertising his ignorance and embarrassing himself by posting and sharing; Where are the Trees Planted? Where is the Recreation Facility? Where is the ICT Centre? Which Courts have been Digitalised? What was Researched and Developed by Governor Otti?
The economic team of Governor Alex Otti are thoroughbred technocrats. The media team of the Governor have been so tactical that they deliberately kept mute to allow Ekwedike Obinna Oriaku to mischievously disgrace and embarrass his ignorant herds of cynics.
My disappointment is that my good friend Bar. Sir Onyebuchi Emamanka has been posting and sharing the same questions. I am ashamed that my brother, Chief John Okiyi Kalu joined the hall of shame and mischief-makers in posting such ignorant questions when he should know better or find out. The mother of all audaciousness is the involvement of the erstwhile (Dis)Honourable Commissioner for Finance who by the way superintendent over the most fiscal irresponsible State Administration ever witnessed in Abia State but has lately become a ‘Born-Again’ Leader of the Newly Baptised Apostles of good governance advocates, cynically comparing a State he was part of it’s destruction with a State built and developed by his peers in Government.
The essence of this detailed response is to school the ignorant cynics, ranting wailers, social media eRats, Fake News Bloggers and expose the mischief-makers who know better but choose to continue deceiving the unsuspecting public.
After the Q3 Budget performance was published by the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, as expected, the bitter cynics jumped on the lines of the publication without waiting for the audited version of the line by line performance to get the accurate overview of the Budget performance. They clearly showed their ignorant or mischievous understanding of the language, terms and letters of Budgeting as provided by the National Chartered of Accounts.
There are Economic Code (Classification) and Programme Classification (Project Description/Activities). The Economic Code (Classification) of a Budget appears on the opening window of the Budget. The Programme Classification (Project Description) which provides details of the sub-heads can be seen in the next window of the Budget line. Isolating only the Economic Code for criticism and questioning without looking at the Programme Classification (Project Description) exposes you as being ignorant if you don’t know or mischievous if you know.
For further clarity to the ignorant to disarm the mischievous, Ekwedike Obinna Oriaku opened the first Budgeting Window of Economic Code (Classification) with Tree Planting as the Budget Line Heading. He mischievously didn’t show them the Programme Classification (Project Description) which is the second Budgeting Line Window with Urban Beautification as a sub-head to the Tree planting heading. Therefore, you may not see Planted Trees but all Urban Beautification is under the Economic Code of Tree Planting as a sub-head. Once there are Urban Beautification Projects, it is represented as Tree Planting in the Economic Code (Classification) Budgeting Line (Window)
Research and Development is an Economic Code (Classification) in the Budget line Heading while the Programme Classification (Project Description) are monitoring and evaluation of projects, capacity building and training of civil servants, public service lectures, conduct of inductions and promotions, revenue mobilisation survey and mapping, conduct of Local Government Election, Consultancy Services and Accreditation.
The National Chartered of Accounts is not peculiar to Abia State. It is a National template and the same in all States.
The digitization of Courts is a Programme Classification (Project Description) on the Budget lines. The bunch of ignorant cynics will soon jump on it without understanding that it is a process of moving and transferring all Courts records and documents into soft copies for secured and easy access. It is being handled by competent consultants off-site not on-site. This Government deserves accolades for delivering on her promises to the people and educating the ignorant cynics and the mischievous bitter opposition who ruined the State and made it a laughing stock in the recent past.
As an assignment to my cynically ignorant and mischievous students, the ICT and Recreation Facilities are Economic Code (Classification) in the Budgeting Line, find out the Programme Classification (Project Description) of the 2 Economic Codes as provided by the National Chartered of Accounts. My instruction to all of you is to submit the assignment on my wall within one week.
Ctz. UKOHA NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
22-01-2025.
