Enugu state LG chairmen have no reason to fail, says Enugu East council boss

The Chairman of Enugu East Local Government Area, Chief Alex Ugwu, said on Tuesday that council chairmen in the state had no reason not to perform since they were fully in charge of their council’s finances and allocations.

Ugwu said this during a Good Governance Tour of the area by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

He said that the council had received over N1.9 billion of Federal Allocation from December 2017 when he came into the office to date.

He said that the council under his watch had judiciously utilised its revenue as evident in the numerous projects executed by his administration.

Ugwu said that the council graded about eight rural link roads and remained the only council to asphalt a 1.5km road in the last two years.

He promised that the ongoing rehabilitation of the 1.5km Enugu East–Mbuluowehe Road would soon be completed.

He cited the completion of the council’s administrative block, reportedly abandoned 10 years ago, as one of the landmark achievements of his administration.

He attributed the successes recorded by his administration to the prudent management of the council’s available resources.

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The council boss also said that he cleared the three months workers’ salary arrears inherited by his administration.

He said that the council had one of the highest workforce in the state, which was put at 1,119, adding that the council was up-to-date in the payment of salaries.
Ugwu said that he deserved to be considered for a second term in office by his people, considering his litany of achievements.

Speaking at the end of the facility tour, the NUJ Chairman, Mr Rex Arum, said that the council chairman had done his best within the resources at his disposal.

Arum, however, urged Ugwu to venture into agriculture, considering that the area was blessed with arable land for agriculture.
He said that agriculture would open up opportunities for the youths and also ensure food security in the state.

Also, the leader of the coalition of CSOs, Mr Onyebuchi Igboke, said that the tour was organised to assess the performance of the council chairmen and ensure that only visionary people were elected into office.

Igboke alleged that some chairmen that had nothing to show were already plotting for a second tenure.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tenure of the present local government administration in the state will end on December 4.

However, there are no visible indications that the state government is poised to conduct council elections for new chairmen and councillors.

(NAN)