The Anambra State Commissioner for Youths, Patrick Aghamba, is yet to pay for the equipment that enabled him and the government to undertake the well-publicized one youth, two skill program, which the state reported to have spent over two billion Naira on. The equipment including computers, and other ICT gadgets worth about N9.5 million according to the supplier Mr. Chidi Kanu, are yet to be paid for.
Patrick Aghamba, the Anambra State Commissioner for Youths, was the former Chairman of Onitsha North Local Government Area. He was also the president of the youth wing of Anambra State Association of Town Unions – ASATU. It was at that time that the equipment and gadgets were supplied under the “smart jobs” scheme, better known as “smart jobs empowerment”, which he – Patrick Aghamba, coordinated across the local government areas of the state. It was also his visibility in that program that positioned him to be appointed as Commissioner for Youth in Governor Soludo’s government. To date, the gadgets remain in the custody and usage of the government, particularly the commissioner, yet, they have not been paid for.
According to Mr. Kanu in an exclusive conversation with the West African Pilot News on this shocking revelation, his payment was approved and processed in the last administration, but the money could not be released till the new government took over. In a letter dated 16th March 2022 and signed by an acting director of accounts entitled “forwarding of an original pink copy of refund of funds for computer equipment supplied for smart job empowerment training materials”, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Youths was asked to process the release of a warrant for payment as approved by the governor. Unfortunately, this process was not completed until the tenure of the government elapsed.
However, Kanu has met with the youth commissioner over the matter which he is very much aware of and when they both met around April 2023, the commissioner promised to ensure that he is paid in November of 2023 during disbursement to beneficiaries of the one youth, two skills, which the gadgets were used for the training, but not only that Mr. Aghamba defaulted on his own promise, but he has also stopped picking Mr. Kanu’s call. “These equipment have been supplied since 2019 and the commissioner, Patrick Aghamba, has been involved with using them for training since then till date. It is the same equipment that was used on the recently concluded one youth, two skills programme, which the government said it disbursed about N2 billion,” Chidi Kanu narrated.
Not particularly interested in any form of escalation, Mr. Kanu had met with colleagues of Aghamba in the Governor’s cabinet and during one of these meetings, he –Aghamba, affirmed that he would make the payment in November last year.
WAP’s fforts to reach Patrick Aghamba failed with unsubstantial responses. He routed our calls to the voicemail and has not responded as of press time.
Supplies to the Nigerian government at any level remain a high-risk undertaking for business people considering that issues like this are not entirely new. The N9.5 million worth of ICT supplies must have more than doubled given the market realities of the day. Yet, the supplier is not still sure of getting paid at the initial cost. The irony is that the government has moved on, counting their gains and the political mileage the One Youth Two Skills has given it, without paying for the gadgets and equipment used for the training which has been in the possession of the government for four years now.
Mr. Chidi Kanu further appealed to the government to pay him. “I am making this appeal to the government of Anambra State to please pay me,” he said.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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