Cross River gov’s aide, LG chairmen trade blame over revenue, others

Kindly share this story:

The Senior Special Assistant on Media Research to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, Phylo Odu, has accused local government chairmen of lacking transparency in revenue management, allegedly undermining Otu’s administration despite enjoying unprecedented support and autonomy.

In a statement on Monday in Calabar, the state capital, Odu lamented that the chairmen have become disconnected from the people, citing their failure to renovate dilapidated LGA structures, lack of transparency in revenue management, and nepotism in appointments.

She said, “They have not told us what they do with our internally generated revenues that do not go into the state account.

“The chairmen are so disconnected from the people and their experiences. Some of them are chairing their LGAs from the streets of Calabar and Abuja because they have refused to renovate dilapidated structures in the LGA headquarters to create a comfortable workspace.

“These chairmen have turned governance into a family empire, giving no opportunity to the qualified children of common men, whereas their children and siblings with no known source of livelihood or history of competence in previous employments are put in charge of running critical affairs of the LGA, misbehaving, bragging, and acquiring properties too.”

Odu questioned their eligibility to receive awards for excellence, accusing council chairmen of misleading the public by claiming they receive no funding from the state, while allegedly misusing internally generated revenues.

“It is ironical and funny how the same people who have said by themselves that there’s nothing for them to use in performing are now going in droves to Abuja to collect awards of excellence as best chairmen. Excellence for doing what?” she stated.

She also accused council chairmen of failing to deliver on their responsibilities and instead prioritising personal interests.

“It is not flattery to state that, after the 1999 set of local government chairmen who were pioneer beneficiaries of the longstanding battle for LGA autonomy, no set of chairmen has enjoyed more than what these current ones are enjoying in Governor Otu’s administration.

“However, they seem to have conspired to consistently tell the convenient tale of not getting anything from allocation whenever they are confronted with issues of good governance and accountability.

“Yet, none is willing to resign. They rather have a bogus amount they put together as monthly contribution and newly acquired properties in high-brow areas,” Odu said.

She urged Otu to intervene, emphasising the importance of local government administration in driving grassroots development and accountability.

Reacting in a phone interview, the Executive Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area and ALGON Chairman in Cross River State, Yibala Inyang, dismissed the criticism, describing the sweeping allegations as unfair, misleading, and damaging to governance.

He said, “Chairmen have done a lot of projects; some have done more than their predecessors did in three years. We have done almost 10 projects in one year in Yakurr, across nine of our 13 wards. So, it is wrong for anyone to just go to the media and generalise.

“We are all in the same government. It is not proper to wash our linen openly, or public criticism without verification could undermine Governor Otu’s People First agenda.”

Responding to allegations that some chairmen run their councils from Calabar or Abuja and fail to renovate dilapidated council headquarters, Inyang insisted that several councils, including Yakurr, have already completed renovations in line with the administration’s vision.

He also dismissed claims of mismanagement of internally generated revenue, saying most chairmen operate transparently and remain connected to community needs.

He said the aide should have consulted the affected chairmen before making such public assertions, describing the comments as potentially inciting and demoralising.

Kindly share this story:

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

UPDATE NEWS: Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25Million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, 👉 click here to find out how it work (Be sure to ask for evidence of clients that have benefitted from this)

Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Punch Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline – join now!

Stay in the know—fast. Get instant alerts, breaking headlines, and exclusive stories with the Punch News App. Download now and never miss a beat.