Sly Ezeokenwa, the National Chairman of the All-Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has stated that the claims that the Anambra State House of Assembly is attempting to take control of funds allocated to local governments in the state is “blatant falsehood.”Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the Governor of Anambra State, earlier described the proposal for granting complete autonomy to local government authorities as “a recipe for humongous chaos” in Nigeria.
He made these remarks during a press conference following the signing of the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law on Tuesday.
This legislation requires local governments to remit a percentage of their federal allocations to the state government.
Soludo contended that such autonomy would hinder sustainable development in the country.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Ezeokenwa firmly rejected any suggestion that the law allows the state government to seize or manage local government funds.“Nowhere in this law is the local government chairman or council authorised to return their money to the state or permit the government to manage these funds,” he asserted.
He said, “The wrong impression which is still out there is the fact that the Anambra state government, through the instrumentality of this law, still seeks to manage these funds for the local government. That impression is wrong and that impression is incorrect. “There is no requirement in this law for the local government to contribute any sum of money from the allocation or from any of the other sources of revenue to the governors of Anambra state. ”Ezeokenwa elaborated that under the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law, Common Services are essential functions that must be carried out by local government chairmen in collaboration with one another. “You don’t see them providing these services in isolation,” he noted.
He further explained that, while the concept of full autonomy would mean local governments handle their staffing and salaries independently, the law has combined certain services to be funded collectively. Local governments are required to allocate a percentage of their funds for these Common Services, but the funds are still managed by the chairmen themselves. “The law allows local governments to collaborate on Common Services, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, provided it is within their constitutional mandate,” he said.
Frances Ibiefo
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