As controversy continued to trail claims by Delta state commissioner for finance, David Edevbie that governor Ifeanyi Okowa has only 2, 203 political aides with a monthly payment of N382 million as salaries, government officials and Deltans have taken a swipe at the commissioner, calling him a “pathological liar”.
Some of the respondents who spoke with our correspondent accused the commissioner of not telling Deltans the true position of things as it concerned the appointment of aides.
“Edevbie is a pathological liar for deceiving Deltans with fake figures of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s appointees which has cost the state a fortune on monthly basis.” a staff at the Ministry of finance said.
An official attached to the office of the Secretary to the State Government, (SSG), said that as at two weeks ago political appointees of governor Okowa have gone up to more than 3500 with monthly payments of more than N400 million as salaries.
“I work in the office of the SSG where all the appointment letters are issued to the political appointees. There is no month Governor Okowa does not give appointment to least twenty persons excluding the ones issues secretly that are brought to the knowledge of the public. For this singular act, I have no option than to describe Edevbie as a pathological liar.” the staff said.
Another staff in the office of the Accountant General, (AG) who pleaded for anonymity said “At inception of office, governor Okowa thought the tribunal will call for a rerun as a result he went ahead to appoint as many person as possible both touts, criminals and ex-convicts that can assist in the rigging of the rerun election for him and within that period from 2015 to 2016 we had over 2,500 aides.
Our source, disclosed that persons were still been given appointment letters from the office of the Secretary to the State Government, (SSG), dully signed by the SSG himself, Festus Ovie Agas, saying that “Every month over 400 million leaves the state treasury as salaries for these appointees”
A government house source who does not want her name mentioned simply said “Truth be told governor Okowa’s political appointees are over four thousands with many without offices, yet, he terminates the state 1st Class Scholarship scheme and paying touts, robbers and criminals millions of naira.”
Meanwhile, the Finance Commissioner claims who was flanked by the information and economic planning commissioners have continued to generate controversy with mixed feelings among Deltans.
It would be recalled that the Finance Commissioner, David Edevbie had on Monday told reporters during a press briefing to break-down the 2018 budget proposal recently presented to the State Assembly by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa that Okowa led administration has not less than 2, 203 political appointees with monthly expedition of N382 million as salaries.
The commissioner however used the occasion to debunk speculations that political appointees were more than civil servants in the state.
