The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday indicted Heads of Personnel Management (HPMs) and other principal officers of the 23 local government areas in the state for aiding and abetting looting of their various council treasuries.
This was the position of most lawmakers who contributed during the appearance of the HPMs and treasurers of the local government councils in the state on the visitation of the state lawmakers.
The appearance of the principal officers to state Assembly is sequel to the on-going investigation of income and expenditure of the various caretaker committees since their appointment in November, 2007.
Before the head of managements and treasurers were allowed in to the hallowed chambers for questioning, the House Leader, Hon. Golden Ngozi Chioma moved a motion allowing them into the chambers, and the motion was seconded by Hon Hope Ikiriko (Ahoada West).
Kick-starting the day’s debate, Hon. Okatta Emmanuel (Omuma) said that the HPM’s and treasurers misled the investigators through writing of fake reports and signing of non-existent claims thereby defrauding their various councils.
He questioned the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government council, when he observed in the expenditure report submitted to the House that N2 million was used for swearing-in ceremony for CTC members without due process.
Other lawmakers who contributed include Hon. Chidi Lloyd (Emohua), Jones Ogbonda, Hope Ikiriko (Ahoada West), Isaac Kamalu (Eleme) and Hon. Maureen Tamuno (Ogu/Bolo).
They explained that it was difficult for any chairman to loot the coffers of a local government council without conniving with the politicians and the local government principal officers.
The state lawmakers, observed that the career civil servants who have the responsibilities of protecting the looting of the councils were involved in duplicating payment vouchers and other financial documents.
They observed that most councils allocated high funds to recurrent expenditures rather than the capital projects that are verifable, noting that such act amounted to much waste in the local government administration.
The lawmakers urged the House to ensure that the opportunity created by this investigation was used to sanitise the administration of the third tier of government, and recommended that erring officers be redeployed to the local government commission.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry, who presided during the sitting, assured the career officials that no chairman has the right to sack them or redeploy them, and urged them to do their duties very well.
He advised the HPMs and treasurers in the various local government councils in the state to always report any suspicious misappropriation of funds in their various local government councils to their lawmakers in the state Assembly.
The speaker warned that the House would deal decisively with any erring local government council.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly has invited 15 local government chairmen and members of caretaker committees to appear before it today by 10am.
The local governments invited are Ikwerre, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru and Degema. Others are Emohua, Obio/Akpor, Opobo/Nkoro and Port Harcourt local government areas.
Also invited are Bonny, Oyigbo, Okrika, Khana, Eleme, Degema as well as Tai Local government areas.
