Paris Club Refunds: Group lauds Bello’s knack for accountability

A pressure group, Kogi Integrity Group (KIG), on Friday advised all the state governors across the country to give accounts of how they spent the bailout funds and the Paris Club refunds given to them by the Federal Government in their respective states.

The group’s president, Mr Dare Zacchaeus, said this in Lokoja while applauding Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi’s display of transparency and accountability with regards to his application of both funds.

He hailed the governor for publishing in two national dailies the details of how the bailout fund and the Paris Club refunds were expended by the state government in a statement.

Our correspondent reports that the governor gave the breakdown in a four-page advertorial on Friday.

The governor gave detailed account of how the funds that entered into Kogi State Government’s coffers since the inception of the Bello-led administration were spent.

Zacchaeus said that the governor’s action was quite commendable adding that it would go a long way to convince detractors who had been peddling rumours and spreading false accusations against the Kogi government.

“Now that the government has given an explicit account of how the funds were utilised, we urge the aggrieved party in Kogi to come out with superior documents to defend themselves.

“We urge the governor and his New Direction Team, to stay focused and not be deterred or distracted by any group or individuals who are causing disaffections among the populace.

“The patriotic citizens of Kogi are conversant with what the governor is doing to sanitise the state of decades of enormous rots in its civil service.

“We, therefore, call on the Presidency, EFCC, ICPC, DSS and other anti-graft and law enforcement agencies to disregard those who are bent on causing confusion in Kogi, as they have perfected their defection to join other parties”, Zacchaeus said.

Zacchaeus, who is a lawyer, added that the allegation of financial misappropriation against the government was just a figment of devilish imagination to tarnish the good image of the governor.

He said that the trouble makers had suddenly realised that they had lost relevance in the state because people were no longer with them anymore.

“The good people of Kogi are 100 per cent with the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello. We urge the governor to continue his good work.

“We are calling on other state governors to emulate what Gov. Bello has done by coming out publicly and explain how their bailouts and Paris Club refunds were expended in demonstration of their support to President Mohammed Buhari’s anti-corruption war.

“It is our hope that this giant step by Kogi governor will finally lay to rest the false allegations of financial misappropriation from some quarters against the state government,” Zacchaeus said.