IKOT ABASI COUNCIL BOILS AS COUNCILLORS SPOIL FOR WAR OVER ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN.
By evangelist .com.ng edition Tuesday September 26, 2023. Admin.
Councilors in Ikot Abasi Ikot Abasi Council are prepared for war with the local government Chairman, Elder Joshua Afia, over alleged embezzlement of local government money and flouting local government Administration Law.
According to them, the chairman, who recently survived impeachment by the same councilors, contravenes Section 28(ic) of the Local Government Administration Law of 2007 as amended, which stipulates that every income and expenditure of the council must be made known to the Legislative Council and that all projects of the council should be subject to the legislative Council before execution, the chairman initiates projects from the comfort of his bedroom and leaves them for his blood brothers to execute.
They also alleged that the chairman denied them their statutory office impress for the past three years, except, for July 2023. According to them, the chairman cannot boast of even one project since his assumption of office.
They also berate him for not being transparent and for being economical with the truth that Governor Umo Eno has always given to the local government, what is due for us, an attitude that sparks hatred for the governor in Ikot Abasi.
Again, they tongue-lashed the chairman for evading a series of invitations to explain the expenditure and income of the local government. According to them, three memos and official letters following a motion, moved by the Councillor representing Ikpa Ibekwe Ward Two, Hon. Essien Umoh have been served by the chairman to this effect, but he keeps running away from them to save his face.
As if that was not enough, the councilors lambasted the chairman for contravening sections 48(1) and (2) of the local government Administration Law, which also stipulates that the chairman can only form working Committees, subject to the approval of the Legislative Council, by unilaterally forming revenue committee without their approval, a committee that works for his pocket and operates in his bedroom.
They regretted, that after wasting three miserable years with no impact, except his palatial edifice in Shelter Afrique and other multi-million properties in Uyo and other cities, the ”smart” rushed to renovate Ikot Abasi government field canopy and motor park as the tenure winds to an end.
They described the project as laughable and insulting to the sensibility of the legislative council and Ikot Abasi when they place side by side, projects initiated and completed by other local government chairmen. They disclosed with anger that the chairman gives the contracts for the renovation to his blood brother, and boasts that he is protected by the highest authority and that no man, born of woman in Ikot Abasi, can unseat him.
They also quoted the chairman of saying that he spends huge monthly allocations to compensate those who sponsored and contributed to his elections and the oil Political structure in Ikot Abasi PDP.
Efforts to hear from the embattled chairman were unsuccessful as he was not responding to several calls. Even text messages sent to hear his side of the story were not responded to at press time.
