How Orji administration inherited N55 billion debt, by NBC chairman

 Kalu denies mismanaging state resources.

CHAIRMAN of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and member of the Board of Nigeria Stock Exchange, Prof. Herbert Orji, has said that  the administration of Chief Theodore Orji  in Abia state governor inherited  N55 billion deficit and debts  in form of loans owed 22 undisclosed banks.

 He also said there was  N1.8 billion given to the then  state government  preceding  Chief Theodore Orji’s by the Pensions Office for Abia indigenes  who worked in  federal institutions and alleged that till date , those workers  are yet to be paid their pensions for which  the said N1.8 billion was released.

 But the former governor Chief Orji Uzor Kalu had on various times and fora denied  subjecting the state to huge debts or mismanaging the state resources asserting that while allocations to the state  during his regime were hardly enough to pay workers salaries, revenue generated internally were ridiculously poor.

 He called for the engagement of External/Internationally acclaimed Auditors to do a comprehensive auditing of the state  incomes and expenditures offering that  he would personally contribute  to paying for the engaged External Auditors Bills.

  Prof. Orji who spoke when he chaired the fund-raising dinner in support of  the  Abia state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Dr Okezie Ikpeazu said  that to service the 22 banks  loans, N1.5billion  was being deducted at source from the state’s monthly federal allocations.

 Orji said that it was during the auditing of the state accounts that the discoveries were made  and thus made it difficult for the administration of Chief T.A. Orji to  initially perform miracles .

 He expressed  the state’s monthly allocations from the Federation Account to service the 22 banks owed by the state,  Governor Orji was  still able to complete 32 solid projects. 

 His words, “ I am sorry that the administration before T.A. Orji  did not quite get Abia  state right.  There was N55 billion unaccounted for when we did the audit. The previous administration had agreed that every month, a certain amount had to be distributed to the 22 banks.

 “We tried to review this but the Attorney General of the Federation said we could not change it. Every month at source, N1.5 billion was deducted to pay the banks.  We also found out that the N1.8 billion given by the Pension Office for Abia workers who had worked in federal institutions  was not accounted for. So it became extremely difficult for Governor T.A. Orji to perform the magic.”

 The  NBC Chairman expressed disappointments that some people criticize without knowing the details, pointing out that Abia would not want to go backward again.

 “Abia needs a governor who has the eye for details. This accounts  for the choice of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.”

 In his remarks, Dr. Ikpeazu  said  after comparing the financial allocations to  Abia  with  those of other states in the Niger Delta Development Region (NDDC), he wondered if Abia is really an Oil Producing’ state. “ If N3 billion is what Abia  gets  while others  in the NDDC get as much as N18 billion, it means we are marginal players in the sector”.

 According to him:  “We should start thinking about how to make up, things we must put in place to drive our vision which vision  is to place Abia where everybody would be proud to use made-in -Aba products, boost trade, industry and commerce, pay attention to security, infrastructural development, agriculture and  device ways to increase our state  Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base”.