Enugu govt does not interfere with LG funds

From Felix Ikem, Nsukka

The Chairman of Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of Enugu State and Deputy Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze, has dismissed the insinuations that the Enugu State government interferes with the federal government allocations for the third-tier governments in the state.

He made the clarification on Monday in an interactive session with the members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Nsukka Chapel at the local government Secretariat, Ibagwa Aka.

Ukwueze said Enugu is rather fortunate to have a government that is led by a governor who is willing and ready to work in synergy with the 17 local government areas in the state for effective service delivery not only at the state level but also at the grassroots levels.

“Frankly speaking, the state government is not and does not have a hand in the federal allocations to the local governments. I’m not just speaking as a lawyer, but as a chairman and deputy chairman of ALGON in Enugu State.

“In Enugu State, we are fortunate; I mean this set of local governments’ chairmen. We are fortunate because we have a state government that is manned by a state governor who is not just giving us a hand of fellowship or partnership but a hand of leadership and a hand of fatherhood in governance,” he said.

The chairman observed that it would have been difficult for his local government alone to engage in the massive development projects being executed in the area if the state government were meddling with their finances.

“Today, Igbo-Eze South has 16 electoral wards and now it has 16 Type Two Primary Health Centres, I mean new ones, apart from the old ones; Igbo-Eze South now has 16 Smart Green Schools, out of which 10 of them have been roofed, and out of the 10, three of them are ready to take off on 22 September. I have the hope that before the end of October, an additional six will be ready for takeoff.

“There is no way, ordinarily a local government, no matter how buoyant, would have been able to attract this kind of development in her environment and especially when each of the Smart Green Schools costs nothing less than ₦1.2 billion with the modern facilities.

“So, what we do in Enugu State is a synergy with the state government. The government is building these structures; we are complementing it in other ways. So the government is not harvesting the resources of the local governments,” he said.

Ukwueze disclosed that his blueprint for the running of the local government which he christened “Progress Agenda” has been prudently followed to change the administration narratives in the area.

According to him, he met an environment where people were desperate for progress and development and decided to make it a point of duty to face the litany of challenges bedevilling the local government. This he said propelled him to tackle the deficit in administrative structures that have hampered productivity among the staff.

Although he noted that it is not yet uhuru, the chairman emphasised that his leadership of the local government has produced some results in the areas of project execution, including the ongoing renovation work on the administrative blocks, road creation and stabilisation, boosting of the security networks, provision of electricity to communities, water reticulation, market development and provision of financial institutions in some markets, improved staff welfare as well as enhanced human capital development.

While stating that a real government should account for its stewardship, the chairman commended the State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, for setting the ball rolling for development.

He also praised the NUJ members for the visit, and appealed to them to always adhere to the ethics of the profession for better performance and credibility.

Comrade Ike Okenyi, the chairman of the union, lauded Hon. Ukwueze for his enthusiasm to embark on the development-oriented projects, pointing out that the union as the watchdog of the society praises those who work for the good of the masses and berates those who renege on their campaign promises.

He said the union was impressed with his activities so far and urged him to improve further, noting that leadership is all about service to humanity.