The seizure of Local Government government funds started right at the onset of the fourth republic, especially so because council bosses were over employing and owing staff salaries. By 2003 the funds had been fully corralled throughout the federation and local government councils disabled and safely tucked under the armpits of the Governors.
There are those who argue without evidence, that the very idea was formulated in Cross River State by the then Governor Donald Duke.
What I remember vividly is that when Governor Duke announced the idea to the Chairmen in the Executive Council chambers of the Governor’s Office, many of them kicked against the idea.
The Chairmen who vociferously opposed the Joint Account Allocation Committee, JAAC, included Chief Jake Otu Enyia, Chairman of Boki Local Government Council, Barr. Ebaye Akumjum of Ikom, Bassey Ekefre of Calabar South and Dr. Salem Joshua of Akpabuyo. In government circles they were seen as the ring leaders. I was the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and my brief was to get these opposition chairmen to speak to the camera endorsing the proposal.
As they stepped out of the meeting I invited all four of them to my office, where the press boys were waiting, camera at the ready. As I was shoeing them into my office, Dr Salem Joshua threatened to slap me if I touched his hand again. He thereafter went downstairs and granted a heated interview to Ofonime Ummanah of the Punch newspapers and the now late George Onah of Vanguard. He spoke tough, deprecating the state governor and rejecting the setting up of JAAC in its entirety.
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Back in my office, the three gentlemen were in a rage. Otu Enyia was threatening fire and brimstone and refused to speak to the camera. The other two did, unwillingly too, accepting the JAAC proposal.
The Governor had told them in the meeting that whoever opposed the idea stood the risk of being removed. It was not long before the Chairman of Akpabuyo was actually removed. Otu Enyia would have been removed too if I and Barr. A. B. Tase did not hold him down for hours at Metropolitan hotel, prevailing on him to take things easy and not try to be a hero. He had already reported the governor to late elder statesman, Chief M. T. Mbu who spoke to the press in Lagos straightaway, condemning Governor Duke’s move. The party waded into the issue and under the one big umbrella, tempers were brought down.
The State House of Assembly was then given the task of making a law to that effect. The Governor signed the bill that freed up local government funds, ostensibly for the overall development of the state. Now the rest is history…
Dominic Kidzu, an author and veteran journalist, served as the Chief spokesman to one time Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke and later as General Manager of the Cross River Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the Nigerian Chronicle.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Dominic Kidzu, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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