The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN has proposed a significant reduction in overhead expenditure as one of the ways for the State Government to free up funds for greater development and also debt repayment.
According to him, based on Governor Hyacinth Alia’s audited accounts up to 2025 and budget implementation figures up to June 2026, the governor received over ₦1.1 trillion in three years.
The former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who was a guest on Channels Television programme ‘Political Paradigm’ on Tuesday evening, said however, that while personnel costs stood at over ₦187 billion, overhead costs amounted to over ₦193 billion.
“Does it make sense? You can cut down that overhead cost to even ₦60 billion and channel the savings into paying off those debts. Why should overhead costs be higher than personnel costs? Does that make sense anywhere in the world?” he asked.
Chief Aondoakaa argued that personnel costs cover salaries and other employee-related expenses, while overhead costs include government travel, feeding and other administrative expenditures. He questioned why these administrative expenses should exceed the personnel costs of the entire civil service.
He maintained that if the government could reduce overhead costs to a reasonable level within one year, the savings could be channelled towards addressing more pressing issues.
“For instance, if you reduce your overhead costs to ₦100 billion, you would have over ₦90 billion available to begin paying off debts. Over four years, you should be able to bring down the debt portfolio gradually,” he said.
Aondoakaa also called for a comprehensive audit of government overhead expenditure, particularly utility bills and other administrative expenses, to identify waste and eliminate excesses.
He stressed that the money saved from such a review could be redirected towards debt repayment rather than allowing the state’s debt burden to continue growing.
“It is better to pay off debt so that we don’t push our people into debts,” he said.
Chief Aondoakaa further advocated an audit of the state’s debt portfolio to establish the authenticity of outstanding obligations and determine whether any claims had been inflated or were unsupported.
“Government has an obligation to honour all debts, but it has no obligation to honour debts that are not correct,” he said.
Citing the Federal Government’s debt-verification exercises, Aondoakaa argued that questionable claims should be investigated before payment, while genuine and verified debts must be honoured in accordance with the law.
He emphasised that government is a continuum and that legitimate debts accumulated by previous administrations remain obligations of the state.
Aondoakaa identified improved revenue generation as another important measure for addressing Benue State’s financial challenges.
SIGNED:
James Ian
Media Assistant to Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN
October 14, 2026.
