FoCEHRaDA Exposes Udom Over A’Ibom Debt Profile … To Embark On Fact-Finding Mission On Abandoned Projects

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 By UbongAbasi Ise

The newly inaugurated non-governmental organization, Foundation for Civic Education, Human Rights, and Development Advancement, FoCEHRaDA, has revealed the current situation of debt owed by the Akwa Ibom State government.
While interacting with selected media practitioners following the unveiling ceremony of FoCEHRaDA in Uyo on Wednesday, the organization’s Executive Director, Barr. Clifford Thomas said Akwa Ibom State Government is now making monthly debt repayment of N700 million which is an arrangement that is expected to span over 23 years.

Despites the state government not making public the debt profile of state, Barr. Thomas said the administration of Mr. Udom Emmanuel was making a monthly repayment of N5 billion of the existing debt until it was later restructured into a long term Bond.
“The debt inherited by Governor Udom Emmanuel administration from the previous government has not been made public. Information from a reliable source states that the State was making a monthly payment of N5 Billion to repay existing debt, but that it has been negotiated into a long term Bond where the state has to make a monthly payment of N700 Million over a period of 23 years,” said Thomas.
He stated that the debt situation demands a forensic financial audit of the state government, stressing that “this restructured debt makes children yet unborn, to be indebted for the callousness and indiscretion of a handful of persons.”
The FoCEHRaDA boss said the foundation is interested in working with other civil society organizations in conducting a monitoring and evaluation fact-finding mission to identify abandoned projects in the state so as to ascertain the true and social costs. He said the foundation is concerned about projects like Calabar-Itu Highway; Mbo-Ibeno Road; Ishiet Ikim Primary School in Uruan local government area; Government Replacement Secondary School, Ishiet Ikim; internal roads network, schools and health projects across the 31 local government areas, including other infrastructural projects abandoned since 1999.
Barr. Clifford Thomas said FoCEHRaDA, which has been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, is set to offer legal aid, assistance and social services to victims of human rights abuse, including providing a research-based platform for development, rights and democracy issues in Nigeria.
According to him, the organization will advocate and agitate on areas where government and businesses have neglected, and be demanding that things be done properly to promote human rights, good governance, best practice in all areas of state and national life. He said the group will also work with government in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended to safeguard the security and welfare of the people.

©The Sensor Newspaper

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