APC chieftain laments lack of impact by LG councils despite huge monthly allocation, claims N591bn received in June

Uduak Ikpatt, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, has lamented the lack of impact of local government councils despite the increased allocation from the federation account.

Ikpat said the 774 local government councils across the country have received N591.39bn in June from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee.

“That is over half a trillion naira meant to touch the lives of people at the grassroots — to fix primary health centres, pay teachers, grade rural roads, sink boreholes, and support vulnerable families.

“At an average of roughly N764m per LGC before statutory deductions, no council chairman can say ‘there is no money, ” he stated.

Ikpatt stated this on his verified social media handle, adding that with the windfall of funds, Nigerians should hold council chairmen accountable for the lack of commensurate development in their areas.

“For too long we have debated federal and state budgets while the tier of government closest to the people operated in darkness.

“Yet it is the LGC that issues birth certificates, runs primary schools, manages markets, and responds first to flooding, insecurity, and hunger.”

According to him, based on the June allocation, Nigerians should demand transparency, maintaining that “chairmen must publish the exact amount received, deductions made, and what it will be spent on.”

Asking rhetorically, “will this money translate to drugs in the PHC, desks in classrooms, and streetlights that work?

“Or will it disappear into personal pockets – “overhead” and political allowances?”

He stated that the renewed autonomy conversation would mean nothing if it “does not lead to results in the wards across the country.”

Ikpatt who is also a journalist added that as “journalists and governance advocates, our job is to track the money from FAAC to the final beneficiary — the mother in the village, the student in the public school and the farmer in the rural communities, ” he said.

Though there has been improved allocation to councils, there has yet to be any remarkable improvement in the deployments of funds in the council areas, according to observers.