Civil society organization, Policy Alert, has raised concerns over Governor Hope Uzodimma’s allocation priorities, accusing him of favoring his office at the expense of the state’s social sector budget implementation in the third quarter of 2023….CONTINUE READING....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The group, in a statement signed by Faith Paulinus, its Programme Officer for Fiscal Reforms and Anti-Corruption, expressed worry that the governor’s office received higher expenditure preference compared to essential sectors in the state. According to their analysis of the Imo State Third Quarter Budget Performance Report 2023 (July – September), the Office of the Governor had a total expenditure of N11.84 billion, surpassing the combined capital release of N7.37 billion allocated to all other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the state.
Policy Alert, dedicated to promoting fiscal and ecological justice in the Niger Delta, highlighted a concerning trend in the high priority given to the Office of the Governor, especially noting that it had already received 95 percent of its N33.1 billion budget for the entire 2023 fiscal year in the first three quarters.
While acknowledging that expenditures for the Governor’s Office are legitimate if budgeted for, the organization expressed distress over the complete neglect of social sectors, which received zero capital release during the quarter. The statement emphasized that social sectors encompass critical areas such as Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Education, Health, Youth and Social Development, Women’s Affairs, Vulnerable Groups, Agriculture, and food security.
Policy Alert urged the state government to redirect focus to the social sector in the final quarter of 2023, emphasizing that citizens were being deprived of essential social services with only a 14 percent capital release (N4.17 billion) for the entire Social Services Sector throughout the year.
The organization underscored the imbalance between recurrent and capital spending during the quarter, with recurrent spending at N18.76 billion and capital spending at N7.37 billion. It called on the Imo State government to reconsider its prioritization, advocating for a more equitable distribution between recurrent and capital expenditures.