Amosun threatens to sack 16 LG, LCDA chairmen over poor IGR
…As APC members protest against party congresses
http://www.gatewaymail.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Amosun-middle-with-his-Deputy-Mrs.-Yetunde-Onanuga-and-Ojuko-at-the-meeting..jpg
*Amosun (middle) with his Deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga and Ojuko at the meeting.
By Sola AJIBIKE (Abeokuta)
NIGERIA: SIXTEEEN local government chairmen in Ogun State may soon lose their jobs if they fail to increase their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who gave the warning on Wednesday, over poor IGR in their areas, said that the chairmen were a bulk of disappointment and disgrace to the government.
Amosun had met with the chairmen of the 20 councils and 37 Local Council Development Areas at the Obas Complex, Abeokuta to assess their revenue income.
The Governor, who got furious after listening to some of the IGRs of the councils which range between N50, 000 and N150, 000 per month, called the 16 affected council chairmen out and castigated them over the “poor performance.”
He described them as a shame to his administration, saying “even my own chairman cannot think out of the box. You are all just passing blames on each other. It is a shame you are not doing well. In short, I’m not proud of you.”
The angry Governor further declared that with the poor IGR recorded by them, he would set up an investigative panel.
Amosun, however, said that if reports show contrary to their claim, he would decisively deal with them.
“I am going to set up investigating panel over what you have told me about revenue generation to investigate the IGR, and if the figure is contrary to what you gave me, we are going to suspend you; if you did not perform well you will be suspended,” Amosun threatened at the event attended by his Deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuaga, and the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Commissioner, Chief Jide Ojuku, amongst others.
Meanwhile, thousands of members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have kicked against last Saturday local government congresses.
The peeved members, who were led by Mr. Kunle Adeshina, the Chairman, Ogun Central, protested on Wednesday with a call on the National Executive Committee of the party to throw into the garbage the results of the congresses.
They complained that names of many “genuine leaders” in the 20 local governments were omitted on the list of officers and delegates submitted to the national leadership of the party.
Adeshina, who addressed journalists to fault the congresses, said that the action was not in line with Article 21 D (VI) of the APC constitution.
He alleged that the party officers and delegates whose names were removed were also prevented from participating in the congresses.
“We write to strongly protest against the conduct of APC congresses in Ogun State as the party constitution and guidelines were not followed in the conduct of these congresses in all the 20 Local Government Councils of Ogun State,” Adeshina said.
“The purported removal of the party officers and delegates by the Acting State Chairman of Ogun State clearly contradicts Article 21 D (VI) of the APC Constitution,” he also said.
He further stressed: “Apart from the fact that the call and conduct of the congresses contradicted the guidelines, the acting chairman and his pay master went ahead and removed the names of eligible party officers and delegates; not only that they even prevented them from participating in the congresses.
“We urge the National Executive Committee of APC to set aside the outcome of the stage managed congresses held on the 29th of July in Ogun State and declare it as null and void and of no consequence. We urge our party to address this injustice so as to maintain its cohesion in Ogun State.”
But, the APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr. Sola Lawal, said that the party’s constitution was followed during the conduct of the congresses.
Lawal, who denied the purported removal of party officers by the acting state chairman from the delegates’ list, stressed that Adeshina was duly invited to all meetings held at the party secretariat.
According to him, Adeshina stayed away on his volition, as he cited as example a meeting held at the party secretariat on July 28th which he never attended.
“They are the people that lost; they only want to cause confusion in the party,” Lawal said, adding: “We held stakeholders meeting on 28th July, 2017 at the party secretariat.”
- For any reaction or to contact GatewayMail newspaper, Toronto, Canada email us at: info@gatewaymail.org, whatsapp or text message: +2348033186252 (no calls).
