Autonomy: No LGA Chairman In Delta Has Any Excuse For Underperformance —Rights Activist

…Says One Year Enough For Council Chairmen To Demonstrate Clear Intentions

…Wants Them To Publish Allocations, How They Were Judiciously Utilized

By Daniel Dafe

Comr. (Amb) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, National Coordinator, Initiative For Social Rights Concerns And Advancement (ISRCA) AKA “No Justice, No Peace” has said that measures implemented by the Federal Government of Nigeria have fostered a sense of belonging and development at the grassroots levels, adding that no local government council chairmen in Delta State and Nigeria at large has any justification for underperformance since allocations from the Federal Government are paid to the council’s account.

Agberen said this in a statement made available to Oasis Magazine.

According to him, “unlike before, state governments are no longer responsible for allocating funds to the local government areas,” which he said “has weakened corruption at the state government level.

He continued: “This should improve the performance of local government councils across Nigeria, as they are now directly funded and chairmen will not be intimidated, suppressed, or hindered from performing their duties as it were.”

Furthermore, he said: “Council Chairmen in Delta State and across Nigeria should understand that they will be held accountable for areas under their jurisdiction. Situations that should facilitate grassroots development across states have allegedly been misappropriated for personal initiatives, as indicated by the scarcity of quality projects and negligible impacts, except in instances where a few council chairmen have demonstrated exemplary performance.

“Every allocation given to Local Government must be published by Local Government Council Chairmen, as it is the right of the people to know what allocations were made and how they were utilized judiciously, so it should be with the State Government. One year as Chairman of any Local Government Council is sufficient to make your intentions clear to your constituents, considering the allocations provided by the Federal Government of Nigeria, so that the grassroots can be developed or better still, have a say in who will lead them at the grassroots.”

He noted that “the financial autonomy given to Local Government Chairmen has provided them with opportunities to render services to the people at the grassroots,” adding: “Regrettably, many communities lack these basic necessities, and the impact of governance is rarely felt in certain areas.”

He opined that local governments are supposed to be responsible for providing services such as roads, healthcare centers, empowerment schemes, and securing streets and communities with adequate lighting and surveillance, as these measures deter crime, improve safety, and support crime resolution, especially in grassroots and rural areas where crimes often originate.”

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The rights activist said that council chairmen “must cultivate a sense of accountability and discharge their duties effectively,” saying “they will be held responsible for managing resources intended for the populace upon the completion of their tenure. “

“The sooner council Chairmen acknowledge that they will be held accountable, the better it will be for them, as state Governors may not provide a defense on their behalf,” he concluded.