The Executive Assistant to Delta State Governor on Orientation and Communication, Dr. Fred Oghenesivbe, has said that the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori is excited over financial autonomy granted local government councils, as reflected in a recent Supreme Court judgment.
Oghenesivbe made the disclosure while speaking as a guest of “The Parliament,” a public affairs programme on Bridge Radio 98.7 FM, Asaba, saying that Governor Oborevwori “has been and will always be an advocate of financial autonomy for the third tier of government in Nigeria.
He quoted Governor Oborevwori as saying that the financial autonomy for local government councils is a great relief for the state government as it enables the people to now hold council chairmen accountable at all times, while the state is freed from councils’ financial burden which hitherto depleted state resources to the tune of billions of naira.
Oghenesivbe stated that before now, the state government never interfered with local government council funds, rather it assisted councils in multi-faceted ways in meeting their financial obligations, and that included payment of pension arrears and salaries running into billions of naira.
He further asserted that with the financial autonomy granted to local government councils, the state government is now absolutely free from giving or granting financial assistance to them, which was why Governor Oborevwori received news of the financial autonomy with excitement and great relief.
On the just-concluded local government council elections in the state, Dr. Oghenesivbe said the State Orientation and Communications Bureau passed a vote of confidence on the Chairman and members of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, for conducting the most transparent, credible, free and fair elections in the state.
He noted that DSIEC was able to manage information in a manner expected of a responsible and responsive independent electoral umpire, coupled with the fact that officials and ad-hoc staff of the commission arrived as early as 8:30am and immediately commenced accreditation and voting across the state. “The Supreme Court verdict corroborates Delta State Government’s positive stand on financial autonomy for local government councils, the judiciary and the Legislature.
“It is therefore, a welcome development as expressed by His Excellency, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori during the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected 25 local government chairmen and vice chairmen”, Oghenesivbe said.
