Social Democratic Party on Monday called for investigation into utilisation of budgetary allocations for the provision of pipe-borne water major cities in Abia in the last 10 years.
Steering Committee Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Chidi Nwosu, made the call in Umuahia while briefing newsmen on the party’s readiness “to take over Abia in 2019’’.
He said that SDP’s mission in the state was to salvage it from bondage and under-development.
Nwosu urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission to probe the utilisation of funds appropriated for pipe-borne water and street light by the state government.
He specifically called for probe of the Ministry of Utilities, saying it should be made to account for how it utilised provisions for pipe-borne water in Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia.
He said: “It is only in Abia that a 10-year-old child has not experienced pipe-borne water and street light, especially in Umuahia, the state capital.
“I call on EFCC and ICPC to immediately arrest officials of the ministry for the mismanagement of public funds for water projects.”
The chairman said that lack of functional public water scheme in Abia had led to the proliferation of commercial boreholes in major cities in the state.
“These boreholes are sunk very close to cesspits, in spite of the health hazards associated with such closeness.”
He further called for a probe of the Ministry of Health to explain how it utilised funds allocated by the state House of Assembly for the State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS.
He said: “Abia is still in bondage and the state cannot continue to remain like that.”
Nwosu said that SDP was hopeful that the Independent National Electoral Commission would conduct a credible election in 2019.
He hinged the party’s hope on the series of amendments of the Electoral Act, in addition to the elimination of the use of incident form.
He said that INEC’s insistence on the deployment of the Card Reader in conducting the polls further reinforced people’s hope for fair and credible polls.
Nwosu, however, expressed concern that some political parties were moving round paying and collecting Permanent Voter Cards from unsuspecting electorate for sinister motives.
He charged security agencies especially the Directorate of State Service to intervene and put an end to the practice.
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