Posted by From Isa Abdulsalami, Jos on
DEPUTY Governor of Plateau State, Chief Michael Bot-Mang has accused the state Governor, Chief Joshua Dariye of disposing of the state's shares in the construction giant, Julius Berger Plc.
DEPUTY Governor of Plateau State, Chief Michael Bot-Mang has accused the state Governor, Chief Joshua Dariye of disposing of the state's shares in the construction giant, Julius Berger Plc.
Bot-Mang, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Mr. James Stephen Pam, in an interview with reporters in Jos yesterday, alleged that Dariye had begun a last - minute looting of the state's treasury.
However , Dariye through his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yakubu Dati said that Bot-Mang was only chasing shadows as there were a lot of questions, which he had failed to produce answers.
Dariye asked Bot-Mang to explain to the people of Plateau how he spent N750 million on the reconstruction of the Jos Main Market and how he spent N40 million on the beautification of roundabouts in Jos and Bukuru metropolis.
He said: "We want to know how he spent N67 million on Mr. President's one-day visit to Jos or how he spent N21 million on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) one-day rally in Lafia. These are the questions he should provide answers instead of chasing shadows."
But Pam exonerated his boss from all the allegations.
He said that most of the monies spent by Bot-Mang were obligations which Dariye entered into before he was impeached, adding that as a responsible government and a representative of the people, Bot-Mang had no alternative than to honour those obligations.
Pam said: "The records are there. It was not a hidden thing that the tight financial situation under which the state was made to operate was because of the financial recklessness of Dariye."
He stated that on several occasions, money was deducted from source by banks because of loans that Joshua Dariye took personally on behalf of the state government.
"There was an instance where Dariye took a loan of about N520 million from a bank and it could not be ascertained what the loan was for."
Bot-Mang also alleged that his boss had been collecting government cars and giving them out to his cronies.
He said that the workers' strike was mainly due to rumours that Dariye was returning, adding that the workers wanted to create an unconducive environment for Dariye as they were frustrated that the same man responsible for their travails was returning.
Bot-Mang denied running away from Dariye, saying he was only taking a deserved rest.