SOLUDO WOULD NOT CIRCUMVENT LG FINANCIAL AUTONOMY— OBIOGBOLU

REPORTER: BEN ILECHUKWU

Anambra State Government says it will not violate the Supreme Court judgment on financial autonomy granted to the local government.

The Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Political Matters, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, stated this while addressing journalists at Government House, Awka.

This followed insinuations in the media that Governor Soludo plans to circumvent Supreme Court order on financial autonomy of local government.

Dr. Obigbolu, who described the news as blatant lies, said the Executive bill passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly was in tandem with section 7, sub section 1 of the 1999 constitution as amended.

“What the state government did was in line with section 7 of the 1999 constitution as amended, that there shall be a democratically elected local government council and that subsection 1 states that the State shall provide and guarantee accordingly to ensure an existence of a law that provides for the establishment,the structure, the composition of the administration, finance and functions of the local government,and that is what the present state government has done by the Executive bill sent to the House of Assembly”.

According to Doctor Obigbolu, the section 14 being referred to by rumour mongers was among the responsibility and functions shared among the state government and local government, hence the need to have a consolidated joint account to be managed by a local government constituted account committee.

“We all know that all the local government have functions but there are functions that they offer that are shared.

“There are services that are shared for example primary school, adult education and vocational education are part of the functions of the local government.

“Provision of healthcare services are part of the functions of the local government, security is an integral function of local government,” Obigbolu listed.

He said “the Executive bill would create a common pool where the local government withdraws from to pay for such services.”

Governor Soludo’s Political Affairs Special Adviser further added that the state government wanted to avert the situation where teachers would be owed salaries or retrenched because of the inability of the Local government Chairmen to fully pay for their services.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU