Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has sworn in replacements for the three local government caretaker chairmen who were recently sacked by the state’s House of Assembly.
According to media reports, the Assembly sacked the caretaker chairmen of Ukum, Gboko, and Katsina-Ala LGAs last Tuesday for the alleged mismanagement of the local government’s internally generated revenue.
Swearing in the replacements last Saturday, February 25, 2024, the Benue governor charged them to be transparent and work in the interest of their people, particularly given the tough economic situation in the country.
Alia emphasised the critical role of local government in his administration and warned them against toeing the path of their predecessors.
“Your predecessors were disengaged because of their lack of commitment, dedication, responsibility, accountability, and transparency. These are things you must never do; you must not have those elements. You must stay transparent, and you must be reputable. People’s lives are handed over to you in these local governments. You are supposed to protect them; you are not supposed to be the ones creating more chaos or more crises,” he admonished.
Hon. Verlumun Avar replaced Hon. Tervershima Abraham Agber for Gboko Local Government; Hon. Victor Iorzaa replaced Rev. Pastor Gideon Haanongon for Ukum Local Government; and Hon. Justin Shaku replaced Hon. Francis Zazan for Katsina-Ala Local Government.
Governor Hyacinth Alia had previously sent an executive communication to the Benue State House of Assembly requesting the sack and replacement of the three chairmen for alleged misconduct and misappropriation of council funds. The replacements were cleared by the Assembly.
However, following insistence by two of the chairmen that they were still in charge of their councils, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr. Dennis Akura, affirmed their sack and ordered immediate handover to their deputies.
“There is a law in place guiding the smooth operation of the local governments in the state… When you are sacked, you leave the office and hand over to the next person, who is the deputy. The directive is very clear,” Akura stated.
“We, at the BLGCA, operate zero account expenditures, and that is what the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) is all about. The governor has taken a decision, and we have communicated the same to the affected chairmen,” he further emphasised.
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