Governor Samuel Ortom has been struggling to clear himself off reports that he opposes local government autonomy. The reports have widely discredited the Benue State Governor is the public space, compelling Governor Ortom to battle for cleansing of his name from the controversy. He, therefore, declared his endorsement and support for local government autonomy in Nigeria.
ALSO READ: Govs kick against LGAs autonomy
The Special Adviser to the Governor, Terverr Akase, in a statement in Makurdi, noted that Governor Ortom was one of the governors who supported constitutional amendment to grant local governments autonomy.
He maintained that that the governor’s early support made the National Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE), honour him with an award in Abuja last year.
The SA Media declared that media reports indicating that Governor Ortom is opposed to Local Government autonomy is, therefore, misleading and mischievous.
He stated that Governor Ortom in a media interaction in Makurdi, expressed disquiet over the order credited to Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) which tended to describe state governors as fraudsters who divert Local Government funds for personal use.
“I have never touched one kobo of local government funds. So, it’s an insult for NFIU to refer to all governors as corrupts. So, they have to apologise to me,” Ortom declared.
The SA said that Benue State under Governor Ortom is already practising Local Government autonomy. He added that Council Chairmen in the state is directly responsible for the payment of workers’ salaries and general running of administration in their areas.