It was a loafy chunk of cheery news when the National Financial Intelligence Unit(NFIU) announced, five months ago, the enforcement of the direct crediting of local governments accounts from the Federation Account, effective June.
This of course implied that my local government, Idemili South in Anambra State benefited directly and received its funding and allocation from the Federation Acount. But with the dying euphoria of this landmark policy, is also the varnishing hope of our people to have more and increased LG participation in infrastructural development . Idemili South being a gully erosion-challenged needs these funds dearly to overcome the accompanying challenges especially in this rainy season.
The questions begging for answers are: Now that the new policy of direct remission has been complied with,why is Idemili South still looking like a war zone?
Why is there no real impact in the local government administration in the aftermath of the direct funding? How come, no impact has been felt in terms of direct LG intervention in micro-economic and macro-economic developments? Have local governments been stripped of their responsibilities in terms of infrastructure like street light, drainage management, market development and LG roads?
Is there a way this can be contained and redirected for a greater positive impact in our communities?
Idemili South received a total sum of N185 million at inception in June this year and has since consistently received such average monthly, since then.
Taking cognizance that my local government is fairly a rural one, one can imagine what that sum can do in terms of intervention in agricultural extension infrastructural development, health and other ancillary benefits.
Yet no such development is being recorded. Otherwise, there would have been no need to do an exaggerated celebration of a platform for burning grass in a way that has made the LG of Dr. Pius Okigbo and Dr. Chris Ngige a laughing stock.
The unelected chairman of the council Chief Don Unachukwu , who has been at the centre of receiving these funds must by now be preparing a convincing explanation why a local government who has been adequately empowered and armed with financial autonomy has not put its best foot forward for growth.
The fear though is that when structures are lacking for adequate checks and balances, the polity may have been set up for the benefit of a few and the noticeable arrested development that people are feeling in Unachukwu’s Idemili South, among others in Anambra State.
The multiplier effects of having to put into use such a huge sum for the benefit of Idemili South LGA within a space of six month are better imagined . The quantum of impact of its benefits must be a factor that gave rise to, and still drives the agitation by the Idemili South citizens to have more transparency in their new- profiled LG and for the people to have the benefit of a briefing, while efforts remain on to hold elections and have the LG elect its leaders.
A governor from Anambra East LG should not continue to appoint leaders for Idemili South. Yesterday the king had no child; today the king’s children are now oppressing all other children. Can Idemili suddenly come under colonialism because a zone that was yet to produce a governor then in 2013 came to power?
Were the leaders in the LG Secretariat elected, no one would remind them to present a budget to the LG Council and it would not be the secret it is made to look like.
The fear of sanctions by a checking legislature is a tonic to good governance,which should apply to all three tiers of government
The kind of situation that Idemili South and other LGs in Anambra State suffer today,was challenged by late Barr. Chuks Anah, Former elected Chairman of Onitsha North local LG who sued the then Anambra State Government , led by Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju and won the landmark case on the state government Joint Action on Development (JAD) policy, freeing the local government system of Anambra State from the shackles of the state government.
Idemili South like many other LGAs are faced with circumstances that led to that heroic struggle that culminated in freedom for Onitsha North in those rosy democratic days and a rediscovery struggle is inevitable.
Ogoo Ugoeze, Nnewi, Anambra State.
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