The National Union of Local Government Employees in Edo State has applauded the suspension of four local government chairmen by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, over their alleged inability to account for the internally generated revenue of their respective councils, the non-payment of workers’ salaries, among other allegations.
The Secretary of the union, Mr. Chukwuemeka Aguonye, who spoke to Punch on Wednesday also urged the governor to extend his action to other councils, in order to serve as a wake-up call.
Oshiomhole had in a letter addressed to the state House of Assembly on Tuesday noted that the two-month suspension of the affected council chiefs was to enable a panel of inquiry conduct an investigation.
Those suspended were Osaro Obazee, Oredo; Victor Enobakhare, Egor; Roland Ibierutomwen, Orhiomwon and Emmanuel Momoh, Estako Central.
Aguonye, however, alleged that many of the council chairmen had failed to demonstrate efficiency in the management of LG funds, adding that many of them had inherited “as much as N60m,” which was made available by the state governor.
He also noted that they failed to adopt the suggestions offered by the union to “look inwards” in order to fashion out measures aimed at improving their IGR.
The State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Mrs. Itohan Osahon-Ogbeide, declined comments on the matter, when contacted.
However, Aguonye said: “We just have to commend the governor for that action. These are the same chairmen that met millions of naira when they resumed. The governor was able to save a lot of money for all of them; some even had as much as N40m, N60m and within few weeks, all of them squandered it, without making provisions for the rainy day."