By RhemDy News
The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has thrown its weight behind the Civil Society Observatory for Constitutional and Legal Compliance (CSOCLC) in its lawsuit seeking to compel the State Government to disclose the accounts and expenditures of its 17 Local Government Areas.
The call was contained in a statement signed by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, on Wednesday.
The party argued that the State Government should open up its books and demonstrate genuine transparency if it was not corrupt.
"If the Abia State Government is not endemically corrupt, it should open its books, demonstrate genuine transparency for once, obey court rulings, and let Abians see where the more than ₦800 billion that has been paid into the local government accounts has gone.
"The secrecy surrounding the management of local governmnent funds is a loud testimony to the huge corruption going on in the local government system in Abia state. A government that cannot account for public funds has no moral right to preach good governance," Aguoru stated.
He added that the the litigation instituted by the CSOCLC was aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in local government administration.
This, he noted, particularly followed the Supreme Court's judgment of July 11, 2024, which affirmed the financial autonomy of local governments across Nigeria.
He added that the historic judgment, alongside the determined efforts of President Bola Tinubu was intended to restore governance to the grassroots by ensuring that local government funds were utilised exclusively for the development and welfare of local communities.
"Unfortuantely in Abia state under the present government, the Local Government funds that is supposed to be deployed for the develpoment and welfare of the rural communities is being brazenly stolen and mismanaged.
"We commend the CSOCLC for their efforts in exposing how Local Government funds is being pocketed by one individual in Abia State," the APC stated.
He emphasised that President Tinubu fought for local government financial autonomy to end the reckless hijack of grassroots resources.
"Yet, the Abia State Government has corruptly refused to implement that constitutional mandate, choosing instead to embezzle Local Government funds while peoples welfare are neglected and rural communities are left undeveloped.
"The consequences are everywhere: abandoned rural roads, collapsed primary healthcare centres, dilapidated schools, unemployed youths, and neglected communities. Local Government money is disappearing, but development is nowhere to be found," he said.
The APC maintained that a government cannot steal development from the people and expect applause. "Every naira diverted from Local Government allocations is stolen healthcare, stolen education, stolen infrastructure, and stolen hope."
The party therefore demanded immediate release of the local government accounts as ordered by the court. "Abians deserve facts, no amount of propaganda can cover this, we demand accountability, not excuses; we ask for transparency, not secrecy."
It added that the era of treating local government funds as political spoils must end.
No comments:
Post a Comment