Abia Councillor Blasts Otti Over Withheld LG Funds
A councillor in Abia State, Hon. Victor Ngwakwe, has accused the state government of withholding monthly allocations meant for local government councils, alleging that the practice has crippled grassroots development and service delivery across the state.
Speaking with journalists in Umuahia on Friday, Ngwakwe, who represents Osokwa Ward in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, claimed that local government officials have not been given direct access to their statutory funds from the Federation Account since the beginning of the current administration.
“We don’t have access to our allocations. Everything is controlled from the state level. Even basic projects we planned to execute in our wards are on hold because we have no funds,” Ngwakwe said.
He lamented that the situation has hindered essential services such as rural road maintenance, primary healthcare, and sanitation, warning that the prolonged denial of funds could lead to stagnation at the grassroots.
According to him, councillors across several local government areas are facing similar challenges, as the state continues to manage council funds through the Joint Account system a practice he said contradicts the spirit of financial autonomy guaranteed by the constitution.
Ngwakwe appealed to President Bola Tinubu and relevant federal authorities to intervene, stressing that the ongoing restriction of funds has rendered elected officials at the local level powerless.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Abia State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs were unsuccessful as officials were not available at the time of filing this report.
The controversy comes amid nationwide calls for full local government autonomy, following the Federal Government’s recent push to ensure that council allocations are paid directly to local governments without interference from state governments.
