The Chairman, Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Public
Accounts, Hon. Steve Ukpukpen has stated emphatically that any Local
Government Council that is found to have questions hanging over its
revenue remittances will be sent to the revenue court for prosecution.
Hon. Ukpukpen decried situations in the past where councils were left
off the hook by the Executive after the Legislature has found them
culpable and had sent a resolution to the Executive.
The member representing Obudu in the House of Assembly, made this
known when the Committee on Public Accounts held a meeting with the
Local Councils in the Northern Senatorial District to reconcile the
revenue of the councils.
His words, “Some of the councils generate enough revenue to run their
affairs but due to mismanagement nothing reasonable is seen. Any
council with any question mark will be sent to the revenue court where
the Chief Judge will appoint a judge to look into the case.
He said the meeting which is supposed to hold quarterly and to act as
oversight on the local governments’ revenue generation and remittance
has been stunted since this administration came on board.
On his part, the Cross River State Auditor General of Local
Government, Mr. Anthony Ayine said that he had some years ago foreseen a
situation like this and had advised the local governments through the
state to beef up their revenue base in case of instances like this.
The AG further advised the councils to be innovate in their quest for
economic sustainability as they all have the potentials to run their
councils without any funds from outside.
The meeting which was supposed to allow the Committee on Public
Accounts to examine the books of the councils was later postponed to an
unannounced date as all the councils present had one or two issues they
needed to sort out in their accounts.
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