Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Tuesday explained that he was at no time opposed to granting autonomy to Local Government Councils in the country, saying he supported it long before the Supreme Court judgement.
Besides, the governor has bruised aside the allegation that he has squandered a whooping sum of over N47.8 billion meant for local governments in the state and that he must account for it
The Governor disclosed this in reaction to the alleged missing council funds reported to be under his watch as claimed by a group, Defenders of Democracy (DoD) led by its President, Amos Uchiv and posted on different media platforms.
The group had claimed, it had carried out an investigation in the state’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs which revealed that “out of the N86.2 billion meant for the local governments under Alia’s first year in office, the governor has used only N38,400,000,000 (N3.4 billion) to pay workers and pensioners leaving a whooping N47,880,000,000 (N47.8 billion unaccounted for in the last one year”.
Governor Alia said via his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo that on assumption of office, he granted financial autonomy to local governments in Benue State and that monies meant for the councils were sent directly to their various bank accounts.
“It is also on record that Governor Hyacinth Alia has always made known his stand on the issue of local government autonomy. He has severally expressed his support at different fora and has been variously quoted in the media as a supporter of local government autonomy.
“For instance, in March 2024, while declaring open a Two-Day workshop put together by the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in conjunction with Timarage Nigeria Limited, for chairmen and members of the local government interim Executives in the state, the governor re-echoed the same stand.
“These were his exact words: “I am happy to state that my administration has given its full blessings to the autonomy of our local governments. Funds due to the local governments are promptly released.
“We are therefore committed to the growth and development of the system and have outlined adequate plans to open up the rural areas to enable rural economies to thrive”.
“Therefore, Supreme Court’s pronouncement only came as a backing to Alia’s stance and decision on Local Government autonomy”.
He reiterated his commitment to President Tinubu’s intention to ensure the country’s rural transformation, which he believes will be achieved only when the local councils are autonomous.
On the spurious N47 billion allegations, the governor said “It was another attempt to paint his administration black, and it was not new to him”.
He assured the people of the state that he would continue to pay salaries and arrears and execute massive projects, as well as attend to humanitarian services as enshrined in his campaign promises and oath of office as the governor of Benue State.