Delta State Accountant General Absconds, Denies Udaughan Access To Treasury

Outgoing Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta says the Accountant-General of the State, Mr Cyril Agbele, is an irresponsible man for abandoning office for the past six days.

The governor stated this when serving and retired permanent secretaries in the state, paid him a farewell visit in Asaba on Thursday.

According to TheNews

“The Accountant-General has disappeared in the last six days. On Thursday, we met and I told him we have some payments to make for the swearing-in of incoming government.

“He did not object. He did not say no and on Sunday, I called him but he was not picking my calls.

“On Monday, his phones were switched off and on Tuesday, he sent in a paper that he was sick.

“By Wednesday, he sent in a memo. I find this act very inconsistent and irresponsible.’’

According to him, the accountant-general’s action is in bad faith.

He expressed surprise that after a fruitful discussion on arrangements for the inauguration of the new administration, including security and entertainment, the AG made himself incommunicado.

“If there is something that I am doing that is not right, he should be free to tell me rather than disappearing.

“Just imagine, running the affairs of the state for a week without funds, even security men have started withdrawing from their posts across the state.

“It is a conspiracy to grind my administration to a halt and an attempt to set me up on a collision course with the incoming administration. I think he is very irresponsible’’, he said.

Uduaghan urged the permanent secretaries to be good mentors to others, noting that civil servants were keys to the growth of the country.

“At a time in this country, there was a strong civil service, whatever industry this country had, was made possible by civil servants, he said.

Earlier, the Head of Service, Mr Patrick Origho, told the governor that civil servants in the state were happy with his antecedents and wished him well in his future endeavour.

TheNEWS learnt that the accountant-general’s disappearance was deliberate, to ensure that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan does not have access to the treasury in the twilight of his reign. Uduaghan’s tenure ends midnight today as a new governor will be sworn in on Friday.