ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Dr. Peter Oti, former special adviser to the immediate past Governor of Cross River state, Liyel Imoke, has criticized the government of Governor Ben Ayade, describing it as the worst that has happened in the state.
Oti spoke in Calabar at a 3-day workshop on budget tracking and investigating public expenditure, organised by Daily Trust Foundation in collaboration with MacArthur Foundation for Journalists in South-South Nigeria.
He said that Governor Ayade’s government has not bothered to follow the fundamentals of budget preparation, documentation and implementation.
Oti, now a University of Calabar Don, also claimed that Ayade’s government does not bother to follow what Liyel Imoke’s government introduced which, he said, is the global best practice.
“The government of Senator Liyel Imoke introduced and maintained global best practices in budget preparation, documentation and implementation, he said.
“Even though we were not expecting them to adopt all that we introduced and handed over but the basic and standard budgeting standards around the world are completely neglected.
“For instance, do they consult with the people through Budget Consultative Forums where inputs are taken from ordinary people, traditional, civil society, media etc to build up the budgets?
“You find the Governor every year christening budgets with flamboyant, laughable and fabricated names that do not connect with the people and have no economic relevance. Budgets must carry the people along so that they can be seen as the people’s budgets.
“This is the worst government that has so far befallen the people of the state. And I pray that God should not allow Ayade’s type of government come again.”
“In our time, we even went to the extent of translating our budgets into the three major languages in the state, including Efik, Ejagham and Bekwara”