The Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area and the Cross River State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Chief Yibala Inyang, has dismissed claims that local governments in the state are being underfunded, insisting that councils are adequately funded under the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu.
Inyang said the state government had also provided local governments with the opportunity to execute development projects and collaborate with it in critical areas, including healthcare, sanitation, security and infrastructure.
He spoke in reaction to claims by factional PDP governorship candidate, Sir Arthur Jarvis, that local governments were being underfunded and that poverty was deepening at the grassroots.
Jarvis made the claims during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretariat in Calabar on Thursday.
But Inyang described the claims as unfounded, saying local government funds were being properly utilised for the development of the various councils.
“That’s a total fallacy because the local governments are having the best in terms of funding. In this administration, we have power to the level that local governments are doing projects and partnering with the state to intervene in critical areas such as health, sanitation, local security and infrastructural development,” he said.
The ALGON chairman explained that the financial arrangement between the state and local governments had enabled councils to meet their obligations, including payment of salaries and running costs, particularly during periods when allocations were low.
He said local government autonomy should be measured by the ability of councils to access and properly utilise funds, pay workers and deliver development to the people.
“Being autonomous in a system entails accessing your funds as at when due, utilising it properly and ensuring all staff of local governments get their due and carrying out welfare for the people. To me, autonomy is just semantics. It is the performance and the dividends that accrue therefrom that are most important,” Inyang said.
He maintained that the Otu administration had created an environment in which councils could undertake projects directly in their communities while also partnering with the state government on major interventions.
“This is the first time in the history of Cross River that you have a governor who allows funds meant for local governments to be used to carry out developmental projects and interventions in our various wards,” he said.
Inyang challenged those accusing the government of diverting council funds to provide evidence to support their claims.
“So, I do not know why anybody should allege that local government funds are being diverted. To where?” he asked.
Giving an account of his administration in Yakurr, Inyang said the council had executed projects across most of its 13 wards based on identified community needs.
He listed road construction, drainage systems and culverts among the projects undertaken to improve transportation and facilitate the evacuation of agricultural produce from rural communities.
According to him, several culverts had been constructed in Ekori, while a mini bridge was built in Nko, Abanghankpai Ward.
He said the council had also rehabilitated the Nko Modern Market in Nkpolo Ward and was completing the construction of a modern market in Ekori.
Other projects, he said, included the construction of culverts around Ijom near the General Hospital in Ugep, including the rehabilitation of a major double decker culvert that had collapsed.
Inyang disclosed that the council was also constructing a primary healthcare centre in Ijiman Ward, Ugep, through a partnership with the community.
He said a mini pavilion at Ugep Stadium had been completed, while a similar project in Mkpani was nearing completion.
The council chairman added that the Ugep Stadium had been rehabilitated, particularly its drainage system, while plans were underway to commence the rehabilitation of structures in some public schools.
He noted that the state government was complementing the councils’ efforts through major road projects in Ugep Urban, with Ekori and Idomi expected to benefit subsequently.
Inyang said other local governments across the state were also executing projects in their respective communities, describing the activities as evidence of the utilisation of council funds.
He urged opposition politicians to engage the government on the basis of facts and alternative policies rather than what he described as blackmail and misinformation.
“We can’t play politics with what you can’t prove with evidence. Politicians who are looking for favour should be objective and stop subtle blackmail and old style of propaganda,” he said.
On claims that local governments were contributing to worsening poverty at the grassroots, Inyang said council workers were receiving their salaries and other entitlements.
“Since we came on board at local government, we’ve been paying imprest to all of the civil servants, salaries have been paid completely and no local government is owing,” he said.
On security, the ALGON chairman said council chairmen had continued to play significant roles in addressing communal conflicts and other security challenges in their respective areas.
He attributed the resolution of several communal disputes to collaboration between local governments and the state government.
“Most of the communal clashes that have been common before now have been put to rest due to the huge support from the state government,” he said.
Inyang explained that cooperation among the 18 local government areas was essential because security challenges in one council could quickly escalate into a wider state concern.
He advised politicians seeking elective offices in 2027 to focus on presenting clear alternatives to the electorate.
“For opposition politicians seeking political offices in 2027, they should outgrow this politics of blackmail, politics of misinformation and focus on what they think they can do better,” he said.
“If they really have the interest of this state, if they think they really want to govern this state, let them tell us what we’ve not done and how well they’ll do it if given the opportunity.”
He also cited the administration’s efforts concerning Tinapa, agricultural estates and the oil well dispute as developments he said should be recognised.
On Sir Arthur Jarvis’s advocacy for a single term in office, Inyang questioned the governorship aspirant’s preparedness for the responsibilities of running a state.
“I don’t think he is fit to run half a term, not to talk of one full term. Arthur Jarvis should first prove that he can run government, not running a school,” he said.
According to him, governance at the state level requires broad political, administrative and public service experience.
Inyang concluded by commending Governor Otu for what he described as prudent administration and people oriented governance, maintaining that the governor’s performance had demonstrated his capacity to continue leading Cross River State.
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