Isoko South Councillors Protest, Shut Down Council’s Secretariat 

Some Councillors from Isoko South Legislative Arm in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, on Thursday July 28, 2022, shut down the council’s secretariat in protest against the Local Government Chairman, Hon Victor Asasa’s alleged poor administration.  

The Councillors allegedly mobilized protesting youths, who besieged the gate of the Local Government Council at the early hours of on Thursday, with placards bearing various inscriptions such as, “We say no to borrowing without approval by Legislators, Asasa should stop running the Council as his own personal business, Asasa is not fit for the post of a Council chairman,  Mike Evivie is not Isoko South Local Government Chairman,  if he wants to be Chairman let him resign, Asasa should be probe for diverting IGR into his private account”, among others, grinding office activities in the Council.

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A dependable source from the Local Government Legislative Arm, who pleaded annomity, also cited Asasa’s absenteeism from office for several months and allegedly running the Council office in his Port Harcourt home as part of the reasons for their grouse against the council boss.

According to the source; “The Council chairman,  Hon Victor Asasa is autocratic in his leadership as the Executive Chairman of the Local Government Council. As I am talking to you right now, the 2022 budget is not yet approved but he is spending the money. 

“Some time ago, he (Hon Victor Asasa) did Solar power in the Council that the cost of running diesel is too much. That the money he is spending on diesel is almost 11milion naira per month to power the entire Council. And for more than 7months now that he has done the Solar power in the Council, he has not remit the 11milion naira he was supposed to be paying for the diesel. 

“The Councillors impress and sitting allowance has not been paid for the past 1year. He is running the Council with the Council auditor called Mike Evivie. Both of them are the people running the Council. The Mike Evivie impress per month supposed to be 50,000. But anytime money comes, the Chairman will be give him 300, 000. Which means he has paid more than a year of his impress while the Councillors has not gotten any impress. 

“He supposed to hold meeting with the councillors on some developmental issues affecting the Council. But you cannot see him to discuss these issues.  He is autocratic, anything he says stands.” 

Speaking further,  the Source said; “When money comes, they will carry the salary wage bill to him at Port Harcourt. He will sign it there and does not come to office. The chairman’s lodge is there but he does not stay there. 

“Those are the things that got the councillors angry that how can he run the Council as his own personal business, turning the Internally Generated Revenue as his own personal money. He is running the Council without a budget. His wife is a contractor to the Local Government. His wife printed the Local Government Calendar for over 4milion naira. And the wife that’s not an elected officer in the Local Government is receiving an impress of 200,000 per month.  

“When you call him, he will say he is sick but when money comes, he will sign documents and money will be transferred into his account. 

“He borrowed 5milion naira which the HPM and Council Treasurer signed for him. It was when the money was bringing problem that the Treasurer cried out that, money came into the Local Government account but the Chairman don’t want to refund the money they borrowed on his behalf. When the last allocation came, the Treasurer to the Local Government confronted him that they should pay 2milion naira back to were the 5milion was borrowed from but he refused. The Treasurer to the Local Government said he will not sign the cheque if Asasa refused to pay 2milion naira in the 5milion they borrowed. He summoned the Treasurer to the Local Government to the Chairman Local Government Civil Service Commission that the Treasurer to the Local Government is fighting him. 

“Then he (Hon Victor Asasa) cried to some of the Councillors that the Treasurer to the Local Government refused to signed the cheque. It was then that the Treasurer to the Local Government now revealed to us that, the Chairman refused to pay 2milion naira from parts of the money that was borrowed on his behalf. Those are some of the reasons why we the Councillors protested.” The Source stated.

Meanwhile efforts to reach the council chairman for his reaction to the allegations were abortive at press time as phone calls put across to him by our correspondent were not answered before switching it off.