Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
As Council Chairmen in Ebonyi clock one year in office this month, some stakeholders in the state have called on anti-graft agencies to beam their searchlight on them.
They alleged widespread corruption in the local government system with little or nothing to show for the billions of naira so accessed by the chairmen in the past one year.
A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Moses Idika, described the state of local government administration in the state as hopelessness.
Idika also described the reign of the chairmen in the 13 local government areas in the state as illegal and criminal and that every money spent by them must be accounted for in due time.
Idika while assessing one year in office of the 13 Council Chairmen in the state, opined that the local government system in the state thrives on illegality of the highest level.
“In the first place a court had ruled that the current leadership of the 13 LGAs in Ebonyi State are not validly elected. The continued stay in office of the 13 Council Chairmen is an illegality and every money spent must be accounted for at due time.
“The idea of joint account is criminal and that’s the avenue through which the allocation of the LGAs are frittered away. In all the LGAs in Ebonyi State there are no single social services going on, no water projects, no sanitation, no educational programmes, just nothing going on.
“Aside from the welfare of the Chairmen and the token on ‘tokunbo’ vehicles given to Councilors in some LGAs, you can’t really say that there is a local government system in place in Ebonyi State today.
“Whereas, the LGA is a 3rd tier of government with clear delineation of responsibilities, but none of those responsibilities is carried out by LGA administrations in Ebonyi State. The situation is unfortunate, sad and not sustainable,” he stated.
Meanwhile, a rights group in the state, Justice, Human Right Protection and Defense Organisation (JHRPD ), has called on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to look into the finances of the 13 Local Government Chairmen in the State.
They said this will ensure prudence and accountability of the allocations released to them by the Federal Government.
The Group in a statement alleged that after one year in office, there was no justification of government presence in the rural areas in the state as their were no social amenities and developmental projects in the hinterlands.
The director of the organisation, Silas Akubuiro, maintained that the inability of the anti-graft agencies in the country to live up to their responsibilities has made political office holders to embezzle government funds, run political offices as personal businesses without recourse to the responsibilities and duties that the offices come with.
He noted that accountability and prudence should be the watchword of all political office holders and lamented that in Ebonyi State, the council Chairmen have been embezzling local government funds with impunity in connivance with the state government through Joint Account Committee (JAC).
It is unfortunate that in Ebonyi State since the inception of the last administration, the local government system has been a conduit pipe in which the council Chairmen and the government embezzle local government funds with the illegal joint account policy.
“We have 13 local governments in the state that are supposed to take the necessary social amenities to the rural areas but regrettably none of such is happening.
“Because of lack of water, Ebonyi people at the rural areas are dying as a result of cholera outbreaks; women and children die in droves at the rural areas because the health facilities are not working; different communities have been in darkness without electricity for over 40 years; rural farmers cannot bring their farm produce to the town because there are no access roads yet we have the third tier of government, the local government.
“It is disheartening that the moment allocation is received from the Federal Government, after payment of salaries, no single project will be executed with the allocation received. While the Chairmen live in affluence, the rural dwellers live in abject poverty.
“Until the anti graft agencies begin to do their work, the people at the rural areas will continue to be at the receiving end.
“Go to places like Ohaukwu, Ishielu, Afikpo South, Afikpo North, Izzi, Ezza North and many others, the state of the primary school children are so pitiable. School children have to swim through river because a Council Chairman refused to construct a culvert across the small river,” he stated.
