My concerns over local government autonomy – Gov Eno

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has expressed mixed reactions over the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments in the country.

Mr Eno was reacting to the judgment for the first time after returning to the state from a trip to Europe.

In its judgment on Thursday, Nigeria’s highest court restrained local council run by unelected officials from receiving funds from the federated account.

The court further empowers the Accountant-General of the Federation to bypass state governments and disburse monthly federal allocation to the local government areas.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi instituted the suit, on behalf of the federal government in May.

Eno’s reaction

While performing the foundation laying ceremony for Ewet Luxury Gardens in Uyo on Monday, Mr Eno declared support for the judgment, but expressed concerns.

“So while we support this autonomy now, the only plea I make and my concern is that the local government should continue to pay salaries of local government workers,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES last month reported how the state government takes credit for free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary school level, but uses local government funds to pay primary school teachers.

Mr Eno, in his remark at the ceremony, reminded local governments in the state that they must continue to pay teachers’ salaries and not leave them to the state government.

“They must continue to find a way to pay teachers’ salaries because most of the backlogs we are clearing today as a state government is because local government did not live to their bidding, so they left a long list of gratuities and all of that (to the state government). So when you ask for something, and you are given, (know that with) freedom comes responsibility.

“That is my only plea because the woman in the village will not understand that it is no more the state government that is responsible. And now, some local governments, whether we would even see their chairpersons, we don’t know. So these things have their pluses and minuses, but for this state we always transfer exactly what is given at the federation account to the local governments.

“All we do in the joint account is to make them (local governments councils) first of all understand the bills for salaries – they take that out. They understand the allowances – they take that out. That was the only way we could ensure that everyone was paid. And then they share the rest according to their formula.”

The governor urged local governments to agree on a common ground to ensure the people do not suffer because of the autonomy, saying, “I think that is the only concern that I have. But I support the autonomy one hundred percent.”

Local councils can pay salaries, execute projects comfortably – Ex official

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, a former local government official said that local government councils can comfortably pay salaries, pensions and execute projects with their federal allocations.

The official, who had served as director of finance in different local government councils in Akwa Ibom before retiring as head of civil service in one of the local councils two years ago, preferred to remain anonymous.

Besides the salaries and pensions of primary school teachers deducted centrally by the state government at joint account meetings, the official said other payments, including payment of local government workers, were handled by the local government councils.

With the Supreme Court judgment, the federal government will now pay monthly allocation directly to the local governments – eliminating the state and local government joint account.

“Immediately the money drops, post the salaries figures for workers in the local government, post that of the primary school teachers and also post their pensions, and that ends the news. And after you address other expenses.”

When asked if the allocation given to each local government council in the state can take care of workers’ salaries and pensions and still execute projects.

“Comfortably,” the former official responded.

“The local government with the highest wage bill is Uyo because the wives of elites prefer to work there. At the time I was in office (two years ago), we had N45 million as their salaries excluding primary school teachers and pensions,” he said, adding that at the time, the local government got about N200 million monthly from the Federation Account.

In a local government area where he retired as head of service, the ex-official told PREMIUM TIMES, the wage bill for the area was N35 million a month, excluding salaries and pensions for primary school teachers.

“Now that the primary school teachers have become the responsibility of the local governments, when the money comes in – pay workers, primary school teachers and pensions.”

According to him, the money that came to the state via a joint account courtesy of the last local government he served was N180 million but stressed that the amount would have increased after the removal of petrol subsidy by the federal government.

Akwa Ibom State is one of the over 20 states in the country that operate caretaker committees at the local government level right now.

The state government has fixed local election for October.