The Elected Chairmen of the 27 local government areas ofImoStatehave described the recent text messages ostensibly circulated to journalists in Owerri by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr Chinedu Offor to come and collect salaries for the months of May 2011 and July 2012 as an attempt by the state government to bribe them.
In a statement issued in Owerri and signed by Hon (Chief) Mrs Ruby Emele and Enyinna Onuegbu, Chairman and Secretary respectively, the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON)ImoStatechapter, stated that “the Imo state government and her officials once more by the statement have demonstrated their legendary capacity for mischief and standing the law on its head. The democratically elected local government administration officials and appointees hereby reject the “Brutus” offer.
While noting that ALGON as a body has not mandated any person to receive any payment on its behalf, the embattled chairmen said that they will not be involved in financial bribery or negotiate any settlement to waive their outstanding tenure.
The elected chairmen who were stunned by the latest development observed that the commissioner’s message and state government’s position are misconceived and another usual cheap attempt of playing to the gallery, adding that salaries and allowances of local government officials, political appointees and civil servants are not paid at the ministry of local government headquarters but at the respective LG headquarters through vouchers and cheques originated, approved and signed by the executive chairman, Director of Administration and General Services and Treasurer of the council.
According to the chairmen, they have not endorsed such instruments since their reinstatement and the DAGs do not pay such funds of the LGAs even as the Joint Account Allocation Meeting (JAAC) which approves disbursements of the statutory allocation of LG received from the federation account has not met for the approvals.
The chairmen described as unbelievable the decision of the Imo state government under Governor Okorocha to gleefully announce an intention to disburse the LG resources without due authorization by resolution of the JAAC meeting.
Finally, the ALGON noted that “the statement erroneously and illegally described the subsisting democratically elected LG officials as “former” and falsely claimed that they had served out their tenure. “May we remind Mr Chinedu Offor and his co – travelers on illegality convoy that the issue of tenure and our right to recover the period lost due to the unconstitutional dissolution by his master the Governor are the subject of several litigations”.
