The Association of Local Government Areas of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers State chapter has accused Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of withholding the funds meant for the LGAs since April 2024.
ALGON made this accusation during a press conference on Wednesday in Port Harcourt. ALGON Rivers Chairman, Allwell Ihunda, who is also PHALGA chairman said that Governor Fubara deliberately refused to hold the joint account allocation committee meeting in the state.
“It has come to the notice of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, that the Rivers state government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has neglected, failed, and deliberately refused to hold the statutory joint account allocation committee meeting, which is the prerequisite for the disbursement of funds due to the local government in the state joint local government accounts,” Ihunda stated.
“He has continued to withhold the statutory allocations due to the 23 local government councils of Rivers state since April 2024 and in the case of Emuoha LGA since March 2024 till date for no just course, thereby starving the third tier of the government of the funds required to discharge its statutory functions in the administration of the local government areas”, he bemoaned.
The ALGON Chairperson accused Gov. Fubara of ordering heads of LGA administrations and treasures in a meeting he held with them to compile the salary vouchers of civil servants, excluding chairpersons, vice chairpersons, and councillors. This move, Ihunda noted is part of the plot by Fubara to unlawfully dip his hands into LGA funds and pay workers’ salaries directly without the involvement of democratically elected LGA officers.
On the recent comment credited to Governor Sim Fubara where he said that the Rivers House of Assembly is non-existent, Ihunda said the comment shows that the governor is taking the state to the dark ages of totalitarianism. He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and call Fubara to order.