by Ajadi Daniel
There had been much noise regarding the usage of this slush fund called security vote, which till today defy all efforts at transparency and accountability. States governors do not account for the money, thus owe no one explanation on how it is spent. The usage of the security vote is exclusively the prerogative of the governor.
According to Transparency International, the Federal and state government got N241 billion annually as security vote. Yet the question is whether the usage of this vote has been justified over the time.
With the spate of insecurity across the country, there is no doubting the fact the funds have not been effectively utilized. From Southern Kaduna to Adamawa, to the Northeast, down to the middle-belt and some southern states, the security vote would probably not get an ally.
The security vote has been seen as nothing but an institutionalized corruption that exposes porosity of our government system and processes.
Most of these leaders who are beneficiaries of the security do not even have a full grasp of what constitute security, it would be difficult to convince these leaders that hunger, poverty, unemployment are critical security issues.
These are issues the security vote should be used to address. Do you think your governor is making good use of the security vote, do you think the security vote should be abolished?
Share your thoughts with us on this.