Victor Ngwakwe, councillor representing Osokwa Ward in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State, has accused the state government of withholding funds meant for local councils.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement on Friday, Ngwakwe claimed that increasing hardship in Abia is linked to the state’s tight grip on local government allocations.
Ngwakwe, who also serves as leader of the 7th Osisioma Ngwa Legislative Council, lamented that public trust in local representatives is declining, especially among older residents who no longer believe their councillors can fulfill campaign promises.
The Labour Party (LP) councillor said, “Our people are not demanding too much — they only want basic government services.”
“The grassroots don’t know those at the state level; their only link to government is through their councillors, who unfortunately have no funds to operate with.”
The councillor further accused the state of breaching the 1999 Constitution by allegedly denying local councils control over their finances.
He said, “Everything is managed from the Government House in Umuahia, contrary to what the constitution provides.”
“Abia is the only state where this aspect of the law is fully implemented against the local councils. Whatever any councillor achieves today is either through personal effort or help from friends or political allies.”
Ngwakwe stressed that the allocations for Osisioma Ngwa LGA are sufficient to make visible impacts but reiterated that the state government has sole control of the funds.
He added, “Abia State holds onto local government money. We don’t have access to our monthly allocations.”
