Human rights activist Aisha Yesufu has strongly criticized Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, condemning the reported lavish spending on refreshments, meals, honorarium, allowances, and welfare packages within a three-month period.
Yesufu emphatically asserted that the conventional approach to governance is unacceptable. She further advocated for a shift to more unconventional practices.

This follows the revelation in the Abia State budget performance report, titled “Abia State Third Quarter (July – September) 2023 Budget Performance.” News outfits reported that the report is on the state government’s website.

“This Q3 and Year to date performance is assessed against the revised 2023 Budget that covers the Original Budget plus an Amendment Virement sum of N22,263,269,900 as summarised below,” the report outlined.

Within the specified timeframe, the Otti-led government purportedly expended N223,389,889.84 on refreshments and meals, N305,400,000.00 on honorarium and sitting allowances for government officials, and N397,520,734.00 on welfare packages.

Furthermore, the report disclosed a claim that the the Deputy Governor’s office used N252.4 million for its running for three months.

Taking to her social media platform on Monday, Aisha Yesufu expressed her incredulity at the government’s reported expenditure, posting,

Business as usual can never be the way to go. It must be business unusual. Expenditure must be reduced to the barest minimum. Almost a billion on food and welfare in 3 months? @alexottiofr get organizations like @TrackaNG to help keep you on your toes and monitor your spending and what to cut down on. @Nedunaija this is not good at all.

Aisha Yesufu

A proof that no political party has only saints as members. I have repeatedly said that the quality of governance is not in the number of infrastructure built by a regime but in the regime's financial prudence and the economic viability of the infrastructure built by the regime. I started making this point when social media influencers were hyping the scam that was going on in Ebonyi State.

But the LP, among Nigerian political parties, has the highest number of good people. Most of the LP supporters criticise their bad flag bearers. Most of the supporters of the other parties never admit the corruption of their flag bearers, they even defend forgeries of certificate and gender. Those supporters of the other parties already dragging the entire LP and Obi under this post will not mention BAT and APC under the Sanwolu's post above.

ELLu Pee Saint dey fall hands

The one who looted Anambra state resources, the one who converted a state resource to family resource, once he went to LP, he becomes a saint.

Obi the Pandora fraud who did next to nothing as a Gov , he suddenly becomes Hero beer in LP.

LP, party of Janjawe eed looters

Mumu aunty.

Afamed:
The one who looted Anambra state resources, the one who converted a state resource to family resource, once he went to LP, he becomes a saint.

Obi the Pandora fraud who did next to nothing as a Gov , he suddenly becomes Hero beer in LP.

LP, party of Janjawe eed looters

Oga shut up, at least their supporters criticize them when they are wrong unlike nitwits like you who see nothing wrong i all ur criminal lords do.

VERDA:


Oga shut up, at least their supporters criticize them when they are wrong unlike nitwits like you who see nothing wrong i all ur criminal lords do.

Person you criticized for doing nothing is the same person your are rooting for to be president. Shocking

Just look at the mild reaction she penned down.

If it was Sanwo Olu or any other politician in APC or PDP, she would have turned to a lion on social media.

Maybe the question you all need to ask is if indeed such expenditure is justified, but the title or wording in the budget and cost reports do not do justice to the full scope of what it covers.

What I am saying is that Aisha and all those who spend all of their time criticising, oneday find themselves in power, and their so called "feeding budget" is also in the billions too.

Then something is fundamentally wrong with what we know, what we are told, and what we criticise, only to get to power and realise we have only been criticising like illiterates and beer parlour analysts.

Didn't Buhari insist there was nothing like subsidy before he got to power and continued paying it?

Didn't Fashola insist that a serious government would solve power problems in 6months like Bola Ige also claimed in 1999, only for both to fail in that very portfolio despite spending beyond 6months as the Minister in charge?

Did Tinubu's aide and now Minister, Dele Alake, and his current media aide Bayo Onanuga, not claim that a serious government did not need more than 1month to nominate Ministers? Are we unaware of how the Tinubu Presidency managed to beat the 60days deadline set by Buhari, by presenting incomplete list of nominees?

So we have seen old governments fail, and have also seen the erstwhile critics even fail the more when saddled with the responsibility they yearned for.

It is time we cool off on the illiterate criticisms and outlandish expectations that Rome must be built in a day, even when the bricks and the Masons are yet to be provided.

This shows that the people who support Peter Obi are made up of the best minds in the country. Labor wants to set up an exemplary movement never seen before in the history of political parties in Africa.When you start going astray from serving people who elected you, they call you back to order not like APC tinubu will shit into somebody mouth and he will be laughing saying it tastes like ewa agoyin. All Obedients are proud of Aisha Yesufu

When will she give account of how she spent donations meant for the campaign?.
She promised that after the supreme court judgement, she would give an account of how it was spent when she was called out earlier.

She is no different until we see that account. Everyone don quiet.
Accountability is zero in this country among the political classes. I don't know why that has not been trending on twitter.

Now, she has gone mute since supreme court judgement. Thiefing people everywhere riding on the gullibles to make money.

Sanwo olu too budgeting billions for rechargable fans , perfumes and air fresheners. This country is full of jackass that will still be used again during the next elections to pocket huge amount of money.

I can wager all my savings that Aisha would get to such a role and her "meal budget" would surpass what she criticized.

Something that we are yet to properly grasp is the root cause of our misunderstanding or our misinformation, leading to criticisms and false standards that we ourselves cannot hold up to when we get to power.

I posit again like I always do.

The state and national assemblies whose responsibility it is to audit the respective state and national budgets, already found nothing wrong with the legally appropriated amount, either as the original amount that was presented to them, or the final amount that they reduced it to in the discharge of their duties.

Yet the layman on the street still finds an uneducated reason to think the amount is not justified.

Aisha the Great activist

Throwback:
I can wager all my savings that Aisha would get to such a role and her "meal budget" would surpass what she criticized.

Something that we are yet to properly grasp is the root cause of our misunderstanding or our misinformation, leading to criticisms and false standard that we ourselves cannot hold up to when we get to power.

Must you guys always support unaccountability by leaders in government, even me an LP supporter is in support of what she is doing, na wa for una...

It is good he is criticized, if we are all holding those we support into office for accountability, Nigeria will move forward.

But when you shield them like APC supporters do for their leaders then impunity becomes the order

Jostoman:
May be the man dey eat 1 elephant in the morning, 1 elephant in the Afternoon and 1 elephant in the evening.

Person wey both rich and poor people queue inside sun to vote for.

This is the only plausible explanation

I have learnt one thing about governance,we see things differently when we are outside.
One thing I noticed is that most of these critics even do worse or not to expectations when they are saddled with the same responsibilities they criticized.
Where is Bosun Tijani now, he has yet to find his footings in Tinubu Administration but he was a Messiah before this time.
People's expectations are high already and any little things bring criticism.
Just like criticism that greeted the so called purchase of Tinubu yacht without even knowing he didn't know anything about it, we may find it hard to believe that this particular meal budget has so many things encompass in it.
All the shame, trust no Politicians, they are all the same.

Afamed:
The one who looted Anambra state resources, the one who converted a state resource to family resource, once he went to LP, he becomes a saint.

Obi the Pandora fraud who did next to nothing as a Gov , he suddenly becomes Hero beer in LP.

LP, party of Janjawe eed looters

And age dey ur head oooo....a shame

Suddenly, no one is talking about Sanwo Olu and his reckless spending of perfume and other nonsense anymore. It's now about Otti. This is a deliberate misdirection and diversionary tactic. Nairaland, like Sahara reporters, is giving life to it with sensational headlines.

But when the dust is settled will return to Sanwo Olu and the mandate bandit in "asshole" rock.

Right.
Government should be open to constructive criticisms irrespective of political party affiliations.

ELLUPP 927

Otti is a total disappointment to the paradigm shift movement ,we need a new order away from the norm of wasteful and unreasonable spending of public funds.

I thought once you are in LP, you are a Saint. This Otto is even a bigger thief.

Alright oo....una dey whine igbo man ..avoid short people...e get why

Look at the shameless bitch giving suggestions. Bitch made it sound like Otti spent almost a BILLION on food in just 3 BY MISTAKE.

Abia is the least in the ENTIRE South-East.
Otti should not be gorging himself on the meagre coffers of the state.

No one alive anywhere should be spending OVER #300,000,000 on food per month.

It's just plain DEMONIC.

chopnaira:
Just look at the mild reaction she penned down.

What is holding you from pouring what's on your mind in 4 pages?

Enugurangers:
Mumu aunty.

She is not mumu like you think. She is very wise for calling out Oti in that rubbish of spending so much on food. Can you do same ,when the person you support does rubbish? Now btw you and that anty, who do you think is mumu among the both of you?

That's the way to go.
When a public office holder errs, you call them out. But some low brains will term you enemy of the state whenever you criticise the government.