How Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta State spent over N54 million to disburse N6m to Delta State traders under the aegis of Tradermoni has been exposed in yet another scam that has trailed the programme.
The programme which flagged off over the weekend in the state is coming on the heels of a hail of controversies and scandal in other states where some traders complained of being short-changed by the executors of the scheme.
Tradermoni has been trailed by controversies and the case of Delta State was no different according to insiders who witnessed the shoddy arrangement. An insider who witnessed the distribution confided in our reporter that no money was provided by the Federal Government contrary to claims by Osinbajo.
It was reliably gathered that the Delta Tradermoni show was wholly funded by three APC chieftains in the state. The scheme has variously been described by Nigerians as a “a vote buying scam.”
Many supposed beneficiaries who assembled at the palaces of the Olu of Warri and Ovie of Ughelli went back home empty, after waiting for hours.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the Executive Director Project in NDDC, Engr Samuel Adjogbe were among those who bankrolled the event in Delta.
The three top APC politicians in the state were said to have contributed N20 million each to fund the programme and the visit of VP Osinbajo. Expenses according to sources included the hiring of the three choppers used to airlift the VP and party leaders to the three locations visited by Osibanjo.
The lavish showmanship over the Tradermoni cut deep into the N60m contributed leaving beneficiaries with only N6m while top APC chiefs frittered away N54m on needless expenditure to the hurt of the poor Delta traders.
“The money disbursed was not more than N6m in the three markets visited in Delta, N1.4m each was distributed to market women in Warri main market, Ughelli main market and Ogbogonogo market in Asaba”, the source fumed.
The balance N600,000 each which was supposed to be given to 180 APC women, 60 selected from each of the three senatorial districts at Warri, Ughelli and Asaba didn’t get to them as many of the APC women who waited late into the night left disappointed.
The matter did not go down well with some chieftains of the party who voiced their anger at the scandalous manner the monies were distributed.
Speaking at the palace of the of Ughelli, a source said: “I think our party got this whole thing wrong, how can you spend well over N60m to distribute just mere N6m, does it make any economic sense, we could have done better because to me, it does not add up?
“To make matters worse, most of our party women, 60 each from the three senatorial districts went home dejected, because as soon as the Vice President left the venue of the events, those charged with the task of distributing the money also vanished.
“Would it not have been better if this money is channelled through the party organs to reward party women? I want to believe it is a vote-buying scheme and campaign strategy meant to lure the electorate to vote for APC but we are not handling it well”.
The source also disclosed that the same leaders who contributed the money to please the Vice President and President Buhari are not accessible to the party members in the state.
However, Osinbajo has faulted the position of opposition parties especially the PDP that the Tradermoni and similar initiatives were meant to lure the electorate to vote for the APC.
Professor Osinbajo stated this while fielding questions from journalists at the Asaba International Airport, Asaba on his way back to Abuja after visiting Warri and Asaba.
He said it was worrisome that some persons would think that the Trademoni and market money empowerment programmes of the Federal government were a ploy to seek for votes, stressing that the funds for the empowerment programmes were duly appropriated by the National Assembly which is strictly meant to assist market men and women enhance their businesses without any ulterior motives.
“The scheme was duly approved by the National Assembly, if they don’t like the empowerment programmes because they are on the other side then it calls for concern,” Osinbajo said.
