Asuquo Cletus
The Senior Special Assistant on Media Research to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, Phylo Modlin Odu, has accused local government chairmen in the state of engaging in corruption, nepotism and gross mismanagement of internally generated revenues.
In a statement issued on Monday in Calabar, Odu said the current set of council chairmen had become “alarmingly disconnected” from the people, despite enjoying what she described as unprecedented autonomy and support from Governor Otu’s administration.
She alleged that most chairmen had abandoned their duty posts and now operated from Calabar and Abuja, leaving behind dilapidated council secretariats they “refuse to renovate,” thereby denying workers a conducive environment to perform.
“They have not told us what they do with our internally generated revenues that do not go into the state account,” Odu said. “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.”
Odu further accused the council bosses of turning local governance into “a family empire,” claiming that qualified youths were sidelined while relatives of chairmen with “no known source of livelihood” were placed in sensitive positions within the councils.
“These Chairmen have turned governance into a family empire, giving no opportunity to the qualified children of common men, whereas their children and siblings are put in charge of critical affairs of the LGA, misbehaving, bragging and acquiring properties too,” she lamented.
She also faulted the sudden rush by some council bosses to receive “excellence awards” in Abuja, describing it as a mockery of governance.
“It is ironical and funny how the same people who say they have nothing to work with are now trooping to Abuja to collect awards as best chairmen. Excellence for doing what?” she queried.
Odu maintained that no set of chairmen since 1999 had enjoyed the level of autonomy the current crop enjoys under Governor Otu, yet they continued to “peddle the convenient tale of not getting anything from allocation” whenever confronted on issues of accountability.
She accused them of prioritising personal enrichment over service delivery, claiming they “put together bogus monthly contributions” and had acquired new properties in highbrow areas.
The governor’s aide urged Governor Otu to urgently intervene, stressing that local government administration is crucial to grassroots development and public trust.
