Shocker! Ministry Budgets N.3bn For Completed Projects In C’River

Officials of the Cross River State Ministry of Environment have a seeming hidden plan to fork out N300 million this year from the state’s budget under the pretext of executing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). But their EIA deals are to be carried out on projects already completed by the Liyel Imoke administration (2007-2015).
The lid was blown off this seeming bizarre development in the state House of Assembly as the lawmakers are busy undertaking legislative scrutiny of the fiscal proposal of the Governor Ben Ayade administration for this 2018.
Governor Ayade made history on November 30, 2017 when he presented a N1.3 trillion 2018 budget to the Legislative arm of the state government, tagged: Budget of Kinetic Crystallization. The budget is four times higher than the N301 billion the state allocated in 2017.
Seventy per cent of the budget is earmarked for capital expenditure, while the rest will be for recurrent expenditure. The key capital projects that on paper were be addressed are the state’s deep sea project and super highway.
As at this moment, it is not yet known how the budget will be funded. Facts from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the state made a total of N14.7 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for 2016. As at last November, the state made a total of N9.4 billion as IGR, an indication that it might not meet last year’s target.
As at last June, Cross River also had a foreign debt of N168 billion and domestic debt of N128 billion. Analysts say this indicates the Ayade administration might have a herculean task in funding the huge budget proposal, except through grants.
Apparently not minding the financial situation of the state, the environment ministry schemed in the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC), Marina Resort, the Obudu Mountain Resort and some others for EIA.
Mike Eraye, Environment Commissioner, told the House of Assembly Committee on Appropriation that his ministry has decided to carry out the EIA following the failure of previous administrations to conduct such even after completion of the projects excluding the CICC which is still under construction.
The House Committee fired back, pointing out that the commissioner’s claim on the matter is not convincing. Hillary Bisong (PDP, Boki 2) is quering why the EIA is to be conducted long after the completion of the projects, maintaining that the argument of the ministry that the EIA is aimed at finding out the current impact of the project on the communities does not hold any water.
Bisong said such provisions should be for projects that emit chemicals, like cement factories and not places like the Ranch and Marina Resort. Supporting, Fred Osim (PDP, Ikom 1) wonders why the ministry is providing for an EIA expenditure as the various ministries executing the projects have provisions for that.