From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

Former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barr. Ray Nnaji has commended the governor of Enugu State, Barr. Peter Ndubisi Mbah for the numerous developmental projects he has embarked on but said that he has neglected human development in favour of infrastructure development.

Nnaji, who was a former Commissioner in the state, said that Mbah has forgotten the party structure that brought him to power, pointing out that he cannot carry out the development of the state in isolation.

The PDP stalwart, who disclosed this in an interview, concerning the state of the state, said that Mbah left most of the people that worked for him out of power equation.

He also condemned the way Mbah has been going about acquiring land for development projects as well as the callous way he has been stifling the people with tax.

“So far so good, Mbah has been doing well except that he has not combined development of infrastructure with human development.  Most of the people who worked for him have not been taken care of.

“The party seems not to be remembered at all.  He cannot do it in isolation.  He has been working, building and reconstructing roads and what have you but he should not neglect the party,” Nnaji declares.

The former national auditor who flayed Mbah for neglecting the party hierarchy, also condemned him for the way he has been acquiring land without care for the feeling of the people, noting that in as much as the Land Use Act empowered government to acquire land for public use, he should not do it with coercion.

“Another issue is the issue concerning land.  I am talking out of experience.  My own land too is affected at Ugwuafor which they say is going to be part of New Enugu City Development, even when the acquisition was not properly done.

“I have been to court over the issue.  If they want to deal on land, they should actually contact those who own the land and get proper compensation paid.  The Land Use Act gave the state governor an opportunity to acquire land for public interest but there are procedures to be followed and if one of the procedures is not followed, it is going to be nullified by the court.

“We know that the governor has the power of coercion but one does not always use the powers at his disposal.  That is the area I see that he has not been doing well.  He has to be contacting people, consulting people.  If it entails paying compensation to the people, he should pay compensation.

“You don’t just use state powers to dispossess people of their land.  He has to be careful on the issue of land.   I don’t want him to be embriod in land issues when he leaves office and that is why I am giving him this advice,” he cautions.

The outspoken legal luminary equally took on Gov. Mbah over taxation saying that he is burdening the people with “over taxation.”

He however said he was not against taxation but that tax should have a human face in the midst of acute hardship the country is bedeviled with.

“That is the area I have spoken about.  Nobody is against him raising the GDP but any tax that makes the people feel the impact is no longer tax.  He should do it with a human face.  Tax is a situation whereby you pay without feeling the pains.  That is why the Civil Servants are paying tax and they are not feeling it because a negligible part of their salary is being deducted.

“Tax is not a situation whereby you get everything you want in a day, month or in a year. It is not done that way.  The taxation in the state is outrageous and he has to review them.  The situation in the country is so bad.  People are feeling so bad and you don’t add to their problem by overtaxation.  That is another area I want him to look at and address it properly,” he declares.