by crossriverwatch admin
As the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, a political group campaigning for a second term for President Jonathan holds its South South Zonal Rally in Port Harcourt today, the largesse they gave to Local Government Chairmen in Cross River for mobilization is creating ripples between the LG bosses and the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Peter Ojie.
A political meeting convened for all the 18 Local Government Councils Chairmen on Friday, August 29, 2014 by the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, to disburse N19.8million meant for mobilization of people in preparation for the Port Harcourt rally ended in disarray.
This is because each Local Government Council Chairman in the State was meant to receive the sum of N1.1 million based on the amount each was committed by the Local Government Affairs Commissioner to sign on paper/voucher, but after the signing ,they were each given N390,000.00 only, showing a deduction of N710,000.00 from every council chairman.
Reliable sources informed CrossRiverWatch that the Council Chairmen became very furious when they were only given less than 30 percent of the actual amount they were to receive and also made to sign as if they indeed got the actual amount.
CrossRiverWatch further learnt that the Local Government Council Chairmen decided to dare the unthinkable and damn the consequences because, according to our sources, this was not the first time they have been either individually or collectively short changed by the Local Government Affairs Commissioner.
They were said to be angry also because each time the Governor was not around and there were monies to be given to the Chairmen, the Local Government Commissioner, does everything possible to short change them of what rightly belongs to them.
It will be recalled that the mandate form which gives the state governor the authority to use local Governments monies from their monthly allocation was introduced during the administration of Mr. Donald Duke, where Council Chairmen were each month made to sign that they have given the governor the power to spend a certain percentage of their allocation on one project or the other.
Our sources further revealed to us that it is that fraudulent system introduced by Mr. Donald Duke that is still in practice till date, a situation where council chairmen are accused of spending so much money when in actual sense they don’t see or touch such amount of money.
Efforts to reach Mr. Ojie were not successful as several calls to his phone number were not picked.
follow us on twitter @crossriverwatch
Leave feedback about this