By Praise Chinecherem
Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has accused some state Governors of pocketing security votes.
Ngige who gave the warning at the 2nd Ofala festival of the traditional ruler of Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, HRH, Igwe Gerald Mbamalu argued that security votes were not pocket money but some governors have converted them to personal money.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the development, former governor of Anambra State stressed that security votes were meant to be spent by Governors to stabilize security in their different states.
He said, “Security votes are not pocket money but some governors have converted them to personal money.
“It is meant to maintain the security equilibrium of their states or Homeland. Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo is trying on security but I have told him to do more.
“Security is like information, publicity, when you are spending money on publicity you won’t see it, it is not tangible, but you will see the effect. If you put stability in your security you will see prosperity following it because there will be economic activities.
“Economic activities have been distabilized in the Southeast zone for the past 18 months by the sit-at-home and all these activities by the State actors who hide under the camouflage of Nnamdi Kanu, to perpetrate criminality.
“Our governor in Anambra is also trying in infrastructure but I will advise him on maintenance just like prevention in medicine. If you prevent a disease you don’t spend much money than curing somebody.
“If you maintain them they will last another 10 years. The ones I constructed are 20 years now.”
