Abia State Government says it has no intention whatsoever to usurp Local Government funds as alledged by the Executive of the State’s chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
The Abia State chapter of the NLC in a letter to the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, which was jointly signed by its chairman and secretary, alleged that there was a bill sent to the House of Assembly, by the State Executive, seeking to cede 90% of Local Government funds to the State, leaving the LGAs with 10%.
The Abia State Government in a statement, signed by Ferdinand Ekeoma, special adviser to the Governor on media and publicity, which was made available to BusinessDay, stated that there was no time the Executive Arm of Government led by Governor Alex Otti sent any bill to the House of Assembly seeking to get 90% of LGA allocation ceded to the State.
He challenged the NLC leadership, who according to him, obviously fell prey to the mischievous and unsubstantiated fake news being circulated, by some opposition elements in the State, to provide any documentary evidence to back up its claim.
Ekeoma, stated that before the NLC wrote its letter that Austin Okezie Meregini, deputy speaker of the House, who also doubles as the House Committee Chairman on Information, while addressing the press on Thursday, October 24, 2024, emphatically explained that the rumour was false.
“Meregini, explained that the bill, brought by the Governor, is designed to benefit local governments without usurping their funds or violating Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy”.
“The bill is for the establishment of the Abia State Rural Access Road Agency, which is part of the World Bank’s Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), and noted that similar bills have already been passed in States, like Ebonyi, Kwara, and Sokoto, with RAAMP receiving funding from the World Bank, the International Finance Agency (IFA), and the French Agency for Development (AFD).
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“The deputy speaker further explained that both State and Local Governments are expected to contribute counterpart funding for road construction, but assured that this does not mean that the State will control Local Government funds”.
He also dismissed the false claim that some members of the House staged a walkout, and made it clear that there was no walkout, as all members, including the opposition, were present during the session.
Ekeoma, wondered why a reputable body like the NLC did not write a letter of clarification to the House to obtain the correct information instead of hastily rushing to the media to misrepresent the government and disinform the public?
He reminded the leadership of the NLC in the State that exhibiting unprovoked hostile disposition and acting maliciously and irrationally based on misinformation from rumour mongers to the point of distorting or challenging government’s noble policies and programmes geared towards advancing the welfare of all Abians, is an unpopular route they shouldn’t travel through.
He argued that Abia workers and millions of other Abians are discerning enough to differentiate between media clout chasing and pro-people altruism.abd calld on workers in Abia State to call their leadership to order, as it has constituted itself into a channel for peddling fake news, moreso in an area that has nothing to do with the welfare of its members.
According to Ekeoma, “Governor Alex Otti’s administration’s determination to disrupt the destructive old order in Abia State and ignite a new phase of productivity and holistic development in all spheres, is one driven with altruism, passion, commitment and courage, hence Abians are enjoined not to pay attention to cheap distractions and falsehood, aimed at creating unnecessary tension and disaffection in the polity.
He assured that the present administration in the State would remain focused in delivering to the people.
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