The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwakwanso says state governors steal public funds in the name of security votes.
In 2004, a former governor of Oyo state Rashidi Ladoja was scolded by the late Lamidi Adedibu for not sharing the state’s security votes with him.
The governor was said to be receiving N10 million monthly security votes at the time, and the late strongman of Ibadan politics and enforcer had accused Governor Lajoja of refusing to give him ” a pint of water” from the security votes accruing to him.
For that reason, Adedibu ensured that Ladoja was not re-elected.
But Kwakwanso said he will abolish the votes if he becomes president.
An estimated N240 billion, according to the global body, Transparency International, TI is spent on the Votes annually.
The former Minister of Defense said he did receive the votes while he was governor, describing it as ‘stealing’.
He said, “For the eight years I was governor, I never took one naira for the issue of security vote. It’s not even there,” he said.
“I have inherited governments that were taking N10 million in a day, seven times. In fact, at a state, we had a record of 12 times because the governor can only approve N10 million. So, they would take N10 million, times whatever number they want.
“If the CP or director of SSS or anybody wants to do anything, we’ll listen to him. He should defend it. And once we are satisfied, anything above N10 million, I’ll take it to the council.
“The only thing that we did not publish for the eight years I was governor was the money given to the security agents, but we have the records.
“Security vote, in our own opinion, is a big way of stealing money. That is why I have never done it. And if I have the opportunity again, there will never be anything like security vote in the presidency.
“We have seen cases where a lot of money is being siphoned in the name of security vote and nobody can defend it. In my opinion, that should be stopped using whatever means, because it’s only a good way of taking cash from the treasury.”
