Floods: Ex-security adviser urges Buhari to strip governors of green funds

A former Bayelsa state government security adviser, Perekeme Kpodoh, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop handing out green funds to governors.

Mr. Kpodoh said the recurring destructive effects of floods across the country were proof enough that ecological funds were being misappropriated by governors.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that data from the National Emergency Management Agency shows that the death toll from flooding in the 2022 flood season has so far reached 500.

Mr. Kpodoh said in a statement to Yenagoa on Wednesday that the governors had "completely failed" to use the ecological funds allocated to them for projects needed to mitigate catastrophic flooding in their areas.

He said failures of governors resulted in loss of life, destruction of property, farmland and displacement of millions from their homes due to unmitigated flooding.

Mr. Kpodoh lamented that governors are hiding under the blanket of immunity provided by the constitution to recklessly embezzle ecological funds and commit other financial misdeeds.

He said it was high time for the presidency, the National Assembly and civil organizations to work together to tear the veil of immunity, encouraging wrongdoing by governors, to enable the people to hold them accountable .

He advised President Muhammadu Buhari to send environmental funds directly to flood-prone communities to help them embark on projects, including the construction of high-rise assembly points in their areas to deal with the recurring disaster.

The security expert called on Mr Buhari to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to investigate the misappropriation of green funds by governors.< /p>

Mr. Kpodoh said, "Governors must be held accountable for the environmental funds allocated to them by the federal government. These funds are supposed to be used for projects needed to mitigate the negative effects of flooding.

"Despite collecting these billions of naira, we have not seen what these governors do with the money. Every year the story of the flood remains the same. Innocents are swept away, properties are destroyed, houses are submerged and farmland is wasted.

“We cannot continue like this. It is high time for the Presidency, the National Assembly and civil society groups to work together to remove the immunity clause covering these governors and making them irresponsible.

"We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari to compel the EFCC and ICPC to investigate these governors and the misuse of funds allocated to them to address environmental issues like flooding."

(NAN)

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