Nyesom Wike and Samuel Ortom, the governors of the states of Rivers and Benue, have tasked President Buhari with identifying state governors who are embezzling money from local governments.

In a speech given on Thursday, December 1 at the State House for participants in the Senior Executive Course 44 (2022) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), President Buhari claimed that state governors embezzle funding intended for local governments.

In response to the remark, Governor Wike denied ever taking money intended for the local government since he took office as governor in 2015 during remarks at the opening of the Mgbuosimini Internal Roads in Rivers state.

He challenged the president to name governors that are doing that as his statement could be termed class defamation.

“I want to challenge Mr. President, Mr. President you are a leader and we believe as leaders you must come out and tell Nigerians, who are those committing this offence? You said the governors are taking local government funds, I want to say in the name of Almighty God I have never touched local government funds one day, I have never and I have no reason to do that.

So Mr. President who are those people? You know them, tell us. It is not good to say what you call class defamation, you say, governors, please I am not one of those governors, so Mr. President please spare me, tell Nigerians that the Integrity governors are not part of them, we have integrity, we are not part of them” Gov Wike said

In the same vein, his Benue state counterpart, Samuel Ortom, who was also at the road commissioning, denied touching funds meant for local government, saying that their funds go to them directly from the federation account.

”It is a logical fallacy to say that all governors are criminals; all governors are stealing from local government. I join governor Wike to say from 2015, let EFCC come, let ICPC come, let every other agency that can unearth this, as far as Benue State is concerned let them bring it out so that we know the people, there is no point generalising that all of us are evil people.

I don’t do it, I didn’t like it when the Federal Government enacted something and said local government should have financial autonomy, but from that day all monies are paid to the local government, and no single naira has been paid through anyone, all monies that come from the federation account go straight to the individual councils” he said

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