By Frank Ulom
The Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Cross River State, Chief Yibala Inyang, has stated that local government areas in the state are receiving the best funding and partnership under Governor Bassey Otu’s administration.
Besides, Inyang, who is the Chairman of Yakurr LGA, further stated that, under Governor Otu, local governments have the power to execute projects and, in partnership with the state, intervene in critical areas such as health, sanitation, local security and infrastructural development.
Speaking while reacting to allegations of underfunding of LGs made by factional PDP Governorship Candidate, Sir Authur Jarvis, at a press conference held on Thursday, August 13, 2016, at the NUJ secretariat in Calabar, Inyang dismissed such claims, maintaining that most politicians jostling to take over from the APC-led government are not fit for the position.
According to him, Jarvis is not fit to run a half term, let alone promise a full term, adding that “running a state is more in depth and requires enough experience and exposure in various political and public offices of such high repute.”
Speaking on alleged underfunding of LGs and the deepening of poverty at the grassroots, the ALGON boss said: “That’s a total fallacy because the local governments are having the best in terms of funding. In this administration, we have power to the level that local governments are doing projects and partnering with the state to intervene in critical areas such as health, sanitation, local security and infrastructural development.
“Local government funds are meant for the development of the local governments, and the funds are properly utilised for their purpose. These developments are as a result of healthy partnership, which is necessitated by the need to ensure there’s even development of our various LGAs in the state.
“This is strengthened by an enabling law that authorises a joint account between the state and the local government. Without the joint account, some LGAs won’t be able to pay salaries and handle the running costs in some months because of low allocation. The reason why, in this administration, no LGA is owing salary in the state.
“Being autonomous in a system entails accessing your funds as and when due, utilising it properly and ensuring all staff of local governments get their due and carrying out welfare for the people. To me, autonomous is just semantics. It is the performance and the dividends that accrue therefrom that are the most important thing.
“That’s why I said local government funds have been equitably distributed and well circulated to the local government. We are not starved of any funds; the local governments have been utilising project funds for as at when due.”
According to him, “this is the first time in the history of Cross River that you have a governor who allows funds meant for local governments to be used to carry out developmental projects and interventions in our various wards. So, I do not know why anybody should allege that local government funds are being diverted. To where?”
On the projects executed by local government, especially in your local government area of Yakur rand some ongoing, he said: “If you go to Yakurr Local Government, for instance, you see massive road construction still going on. There are interventions and rehabilitation of facilities, empowerment of all sorts in the local government.
“I have 13 council wards, and I have done one or two projects in almost 12 of them, based on the NEEDS assessment. Most of them are drainages that are in the major farm roads and culverts that have been making it difficult to evacuate agricultural products to our communities and ease transportation of these agro-products from our farms.
“We have done many culverts in Ekori; we have done a mini bridge in Nko, Abanghankpai ward. We have rehabilitated the Nko Modern Market in Nkpolo ward; we are in the process of completing the building of a modern market in Ekori. Besides, we’ve done a lot of construction of culverts in Ijom near the General Hospital in Ugep, like a double-decker culvert that collapsed immediately when we came on board.
Continuing, the Yakurr council boss said: “We are constructing a new PHC in Ijiman ward in ugep through community and local government partnership. The construction of a mini pavilion in the ugep stadium is completed, while the one in Mkpani community is near completion.
“We’re about to kickstart the rehabilitation of some structures in most of our schools. We have rehabilitated the Stadium at Ugep. There was no drainage to direct water. But we’ve done all that. The state government is complementing the councils as they have embarked on major road projects in Ugep Urban, while Ekori and Idomi are next on the line.
“It will also interest you to know that many other LGAs in the state have also done several projects in their various communities to confirm the utilisation of local government funds. So, for me, we can’t play politics with what you can’t prove with evidence. Politicians, who are looking for favour, should be objective and stop subtle blackmail and old-style propaganda.
“There are lots of things that we never saw before happening in the local government system that are happening now in this administration. Nobody has ever held us hostage in getting the funds that we’re required to get to handle the running of our local government. Everything has been going on smoothly, and we feel that this government should be encouraged to do more,” he stated.
On alleged deepening of poverty at LGs, he said such a statement is unfounded, adding, “Since we came on board at local government, we’ve been paying imprest to all of the civil servants, salaries have been paid completely, and no local government is owing. If anybody is saying so, they should bring out facts and show how far the local government is owing.”
On security challenges here and there, Inyang contended that “council chairmen have played major roles in the security management of their local governments. You can attest that most of the communal clashes that have been common before now have been put to rest due to the huge support from the state government.
“There has been a healthy partnership with the state in handling sensitive issues that may have been too peculiar for local governments alone to run. This is the partnership we’re talking about that is keeping the whole state safe. You know, the 18 local governments make up the state; when you allow issues to spill over from one local government to another.
it snowball to a state threat. So, it is in our own interest to partner in resolving most of the crises that we know are beyond the local governments to handle. So, I think in terms of security, we’ve been doing our best.”
On advice to political opponents, the Yakurr Council boss said: “For opposition politicians seeking political offices in 2027, they should outgrow this politics of blackmail, politics of misinformation and focus on what they think they can do better. If they really have an interest in this state, if they think they really want to govern this state, let them tell us what we’ve not done and how well they’ll do it if given the opportunity.
“In terms of development, this present administration has attracted so much development, including the oil well case. They have got back Tinapa and our Agric estates, etc. These are all milestones among others to be proud of. But when you go lying publicly to appease people, you rather ridicule the whole essence of why you’re coming out to govern the state.”
On Arthur Jarvis’s one-term mantra, Inyang outrightly dismissed such political manipulation, saying, “I don’t think he is fit to run half a term, not to talk of one full term. Arthur Jarvis should first prove that he can run government, not run a school. Governance of a state is more in-depth and requires enough experience and exposure in various political and public offices of high repute.
“Our governor, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, has demonstrated the qualities of a prudent administrator with a people-oriented governance mentality. His achievements within this first tenure can attest to the fact that he is the real person Cross River State deserves at the moment,” he concluded.