The easiest way for a Governor to go to jail is to tamper with council funds, says Victor Antai

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Victor Antai, is one of the few politicians in the state who believe in truth, transparency, good governance and loyalty. He spoke with BASSEY ANTHONY, in Uyo, on the local government administration in the State, the statutory monthly allocations, and internally generated revenues of LGAs. Excerpts:

The Delta State Di­rect Labour Agency, (DDLA), has in the past one year, reha­bilitated 72 township/link roads, the agency’s Direc­tor General Engr. Frank Enekorogha, has said. The roads, include both federal and state-government- owned roads.

Addressing journalists in Asaba, the Delta State capital, as part activities to mark his one year in office, Enekorogha, said roads in the country do not last be­cause they are “depreciat­ing assets”.

He said that 13 roads in Delta Central senatorial district have been com­pleted, while work is still on-going on 9 roads in the senatorial zone.

He also said that the agency rehabilitated 47 roads in Delta North sena­torial district in the past one year.

According to the direc­tor general, the agency embarked on the construc­tion of three roads in Delta South senatorial zone, say­ing that one out of the three roads has been completed.

Hon. Commissioner, when the governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, was interviewed recently by Channels TV, he said he doesn’t interfere in Local government funds. People don’t seem to believe him, why?

The easiest way for a governor to go to jail is by tampering with Local Gov­ernment funds, and our governor is aware of this so he is telling the truth. Funds for local government are paid in directly to carter for the needs of local govern­ment areas.

The local government’s wage bill caters for primary school teachers, pension­ers, local government staff and pensioners, nurses at primary health care cen­ters, palace upkeep to para­mount rulers and others, but because of this huge wage bill some local gov­ernments run into deficits for up to 2 years.

Uyo is the worst hit be­cause everybody wants to work and retire in Uyo, most of the wives of top in­dustry chieftains and others want to work in Uyo mu­nicipal. For instance, the permanent secretary, direc­tor, politicians live in Uyo with their children, who school in Uyo.

For a specific example, St. John’s Primary School, Eniong Offot, Uyo you have a total of 22 primary school teachers and the wage bill that Uyo Local Government Area, LGA, pays to teachers in that school is N1, 840, 685. 44. Initially, before I became the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, we never used to have such break down to know how many teachers are in each primary school, how much they are paid, the wage bill of the primary school for that month. We never used to have that, but now I can access that payroll of any primary school in the state anywhere in the world with my phone.

If anybody enters that platform, I will know any­where in the world that is what the government of Deacon Udom Emmanuel has done. So, as we speak, if one primary school in Uyo alone is N1.8million, let me tell you the total amount that we pay to primary school teachers in Uyo LGA alone, N75, 839,600. That is how much Uyo paid to primary school teachers in May, 2016 alone. Also, the amount we paid to Uyo Lo­cal Government staff for the month of May was about N100million. We are not talking about pensions yet.

Hon. Commissioner, the question is why do you think people don’t believe the governor, when he says he doesn’t take money from the Local government purse?

It is because of what peo­ple feed the masses with, the propaganda people would go on radio to feed the masses with. Somebody, who should know, when you see someone that is a former commissioner for information going on air to push propaganda? The lay man on the street, who does not even understand how the system works, would expect a former commis­sioner for information to understand how the system works. But, then the per­son goes out there to feed the masses with wrong in­formation? You wouldn’t blame the masses for be­lieving what they want to believe so that is one of the reasons I am gathering us together to do what I am doing now, to set the record straight.

Probably, people do not understand how the joint account works.