There is a video that has been trending since last weekend on the Nigerian social media space. It is a video of a 21-year-old son of the governor of Abia state, Mr Okezie Ikpeazu driving in the governor’s convoy and using the governor’s official fleet to attend an occasion.
Those that rose to the defence of the lad and his dad, the governor stated that the boy was sent by the dad to represent him in a function hence why he was ridden in the official convoy of the governor.
Those defending the action of the son of the governor making use of the governor’s official fleet in the name that he was sent by the governor to represent him in a function should know that a seating governor in his official capacity cannot, in any shape or form be represented by his son or daughter or any other person whomsoever, not even his wife, in any gathering except that the person is directly given an official position or officially appointed into the cabinet and that is the protocol.
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Wife or children of a governor using state-owned resources or making use of the official properties of the government is an abuse of power. The state elected the governor and did not elect his wife or the children.
Our law did not recognize or make provision for the office of the wife of the governor or the office of the children of the governor neither was there a provision for the office of the wife of the president or the office of the children of the president.
Governor’s son is not a title neither is the wife of a governor a title. This should be an eye opener to all and sundry that the purported office of the First Lady or office of the wife of the president or wife of the governor is just a caricature and merely ceremonial as nowhere in our laws is that provision made.
The act of Nigerian officeholders allowing their wards to use state properties for their private business is totally wrong and abusive of the office the officer occupies.
Knocks As Ikpeazu’s Son Arrives Event In Convoy
The arrival of Chinedu, the son of the Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, at an event has started trending on Saturday.
Netizens raised eyebrows over the convoy that the governor’s son arrived in. pic.twitter.com/IwoHWYhp3b
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) January 22, 2023
It is more like a norm in Nigeria; almost every political office holder in Nigeria is guilty of this act; starting from the president to the least public office holder. The president has been seen letting one of his aides ride on a presidential jet to attend a private occasion.
Government properties are to be used for government functions only and only to be used by officials whose such properties are handed over to by the reason of the offices they occupy. Your official car as a senior public office holder is for official duties and business and should never be used for your private business. That is why in some offices, once your tenure has elapsed, you are expected to give up and return official properties in your possession because they do not belong to you.
Government properties that were given to a person for the discharge of his official duties should never be used for private business nor should it be used by the officer’s family members, aides or friends; that amounts to abuse of office and waste of taxpayers’ money.