By innocent onyeukwu
The newly appointed 27 Sole Administrators in the 27 Local Government Areas in Imo State are in shock, following a purported directive from the State Government to generately monthly N5m as Internal Generated Revenue in their respective domains.
This directive has compelled some of the SOLADS to adopt extra measures, both conventional and unconventional, to meet up with the target.
Trumpeta gathered that since the inauguration of the SOLADS few weeks ago, none of them reportedly have been able to meet up with the target because of the difficulties involved.
One of the encumbrances is the non-economic viable status of LGs in Imo State which have been in economic distress for years.
Aside Owerri Municipal Council, that is capable of raising such funds because of its cosmopolitan status, other LGAs in the State are economically dead due to little or no economic activities going on in the hinterlands.
However, based on the directive of the State Government to the SOLADs, some have gone out of their way, thus exerting undue pressure on revenue tax collectors in the various Local Governments.
For instance, in Oguta LGA, the Sole Administrator, Hon. (Chief) Henry Igbomezie, instituted a monthly Financial Award for the highest revenue staff collector.
Similar measures are said to be going on in other LGAs despite Okorocha’s directive to the SOLADs. Trumpeta learnt that nothing significant has come to the LGAs, as most of the financial transactions concerning the various LGAs are run by the ministry of Local Government Affairs headed by Chief Jerry Okolie.
Before the swearing in of the SOLADs, allocation to the Local Governments were granted by the ministries, as the Joint State and Local Government (JAAC) meetings seldom take place.
This Newspaper observed that despite the appointment of the SOLADs, no such meeting has taken place, though Government sources attribute it to the fact that no allocation has come to the state since the SOLADs were sworn in.
