By Jonathan Ugbal
As CrossRiverWatch combs through the almost 800 page N1.043 trillion 2019 budget of Qabalistic Densification of the Cross River State government, more details have emerged on the spending with nine billion earmarked for “Diesel Generators Power Supply at Homes in 18 LGAs”.
It is unclear where these homes are located and who owns them.
The State also voted four billion Naira for the Green Sheriff and Homeland Security units.
The Green Sheriff, an upgrade or the sanitation department consists of about 20 vehicles manned by one police officer, a driver and a Green Sheriff who supervise the evacuation of refuse and ensure residents discard refuse in the proper manner.
Their activities are expected to gulp one billion and five hundred million Naira which is five hundred million lesser than what was appropriated in 2018.
Meanwhile, the running of Homeland Security, a subset of the Emergency Response Center (ERC) Quick Intervention Squad (QIS) which consists of dozens of Police, Army, Navy and personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps is expected to gulp two billion and five hundred million Naira which is one billion and eight hundred million Naira lesser than the four billion and three hundred million earmarked for the 2018 financial year.
These items fall under the subhead, “Miscellaneous Capital Item” which has a total budget of N40 billion.
The Cross River State Development Agency activities and projects is expected to spend N1 billion from this subhead while N1.5 billion will be expended on the Green Millionaire program.
Security Support Service, which is different from the Security Vote reported earlier, is expected to be funded with N4 billion while N5 billion was budgeted for “statewide/ward security control.”
Despite these and the fact that the QIS has been existing for about a decade, N60 million was still budgeted for it’s “rake-off.” Also, “State Security Project,” and “State Security Project/Border Petrol (patrol) Across the State” will cost N200 million each.
N30 million is expected to be paid as the ten percent mobilisation for the “Petroleum Asset Determination Service” while the installation and activation of a “122” as the United distress call code will cost N10 million.
Furthermore, the construction of a police station at Itu bridge head at Odukpani local government area as well as Itigidi in Abi local government area is expected to N50 million.
The State also intends to assist the relocation of the Drill Ranch and Cercopan with N116.666 million which was the same figure approved for 2018 while it’s support to conservation agencies remains same from the previous year at N13.333 million.
While the State Border Security Agency activities and projects will receive N3 billion (N4 billion less than 2018), the activities and projects of the commodities control agency will be funded with N1 billion which is a billion short of the N2 billion allocated in 2018.
Others are anti kidnapping/anti-cultism – N2.873 billion; purchase of vehicles (political and general) – N3 billion; purchase of vehicles for MDAs – N3 billion; purchase of generators – N1 billion.
Also, the construction of an account store for the Chief of Staff will gulp N30 million while a cool shade vehicle park will be constructed with N6 million.