Tag: #Obudu Local Government Council

 

The regular flyers that aspirants go to design and print in any business center usually have ambiguities on them, which usually include:

i. Beautiful studio pictures treated with apps. Even if the aspirant no fine, he or she will be fine in the picture.

ii. Youths and women empowerment.

iii. Job creation.

iv. Human capital development.

v. Peace and security.

vi. Social amenities.

The truth is that, none of those things are the core functions of the local government. Not even one of them.

There are specific functions of the LGAs that take their subheads.

1. Payment of salaries and allowances of primary health care workers.
2. Payment of salaries and allowances of primary school teachers.
3. Payment of salaries and allowances of traditional rulers.
4. Payment of salaries and allowances of LGA staff.
5. Payment of salaries and allowances of elected LGA officials and appointees.

Let’s even assume for instance that you claim you want to create jobs, which you should, you must break it down and let the voters know how those jobs will be created. Just writing job creation in your campaign poster doesn’t amount to anything. Tell us how you will achieve it.

Let me break it down further. Assuming I have the faintest interest in the office of the Obudu LGA Chair, if I write “Job Creation”, I will further tell you the sectors and projected numbers of jobs I intend to create within a set period of time.

For instance, it is the duty of local governments to register and regulate the operation of motor and bike parks. As Chairman of Council, I will first of all, deliberately saturate the 10 wards of Obudu LGA with open wifi hubs using Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet. It is presently the fastest Internet service available in the market and it works everywhere without a need to lay cables or build masts, because it is satellite internet. 20 of those devices and cell extenders will cost the council approximately N50m plus installation and control center, and that will put two devices in each of the ten Wards.

This will create the infrastructure for registration and capturing the over 10,000 commercial Okada bikes in Obudu LGA into a portal like “Gokada.” It will become a real time transport service similar to BOLT in operation, and the Council will formalize and standardize that sector and create at least 500 formal jobs, excluding the riders. The Council will also generate tens of millions of Naira from every ride and riders registration and boost the IGR of the LGA.

Every bike in Obudu will have a digital ID and if it is used for any crime or should a passenger lose any ware while on transit or gets missing or hurt, the bike and the rider will be easily tracked and brought to book. This can be achieved within six months.

It is also possible to identify locations in Ohong, Utugwang, Ofambe where men and women speak different languages, and other mini urban towns in Obudu and deliberately develop gardens with embedded rented shops and restaurants like “Jedy Garden” where we all relax when we go to Abuja. This will create another 500 direct jobs and revenue spots that will also up the IGR of the State. Tickets from visitors and off-the-pocket expenses will generate money for Council and locals.

Affordable fire proof prefab building materials can be brought in to couple at least 200 shops at the main Katube Market in Obudu town and 50 shops each, in Kazul, Udama, Lifembe and Ohong Markets. The prefab materials are not very expensive and they are readily available. This will modernize those markets and generate additional jobs and revenue for Council and empower local peasants.

This is not a campaign document. It is just a random maze on how to break the manifesto ambiguities down to the understanding of the voter so we can know where you stand and command thunder to fire you properly, when you refuse to keep your word.

So stop giving us bogus copy and paste campaign posters. Go to work and think and come back with sectorial and thematic details of what you wish to do as Obudu LGA Chairman. Una don pass 15 aspirants. If you have nothing in your head, abeg clear road and share the grace so that we can properly screw the serious ones.

I mean the next Obudu Chairman o. No be joke o.

Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo, and does not represent TheLumineNews, its agent or the organization the author works for.

 

Our Governor has given assurances that LG elections will soon be conducted in Cross River State. He has also indicated that he will like to see people who are humble and desirous of serving their people emerge as Chairmen and not those who want to go and amass lucre. That is a good benchmark if you ask me. So all political parties should get ready.

If indeed, the allocations of the LGAs begin to go directly to the councils as directed by the Supreme Court, I wish to earnestly beg those who know nothing about governance, but want to enrich themselves from Council allocations, particularly in Obudu LGA, to desist from wasting their money on consultations and campaigns.

The reason is simply that, you won’t be able to steal. Even if you succeed in stealing, what you will pilfer won’t be much to make you rich. Because we will hold you accountable inch by inch. And let me tell you how. You may want to copy this in your LGA, if you find it useful.

1. Cross River State signed on to the Open Governance Project OGP, in 2020. That imposes a duty on government at all levels in the State to come clear on the activities of the government and put everything in the open.

2. LGA Chairmen do not have immunity. They can be sued while in office. They can even be jailed while in office.

3. We will track all income to the LGA from Abuja. All that information is available from the federal budget office and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. All financial receipts to Obudu Council will be tracked diligently and meticulously.

4. We will officially write under the Freedom of Information FOI law, and demand for details of monthly FAAC allocations, monthly Internally Generated Revenue IGR, record of expenditure vis-a-vis, salaries and allowances of LG workers, political appointees, health and primary school workers, traditional rulers.

5. We will officially write under the Freedom of Information FOI law, and demand for forensic examination of the total number of people on the LGA payroll and what their statutory pay is.

6. We will officially write under the Freedom of Information FOI law, and demand records of expenditure on LGA projects and interventions.

7. We anticipate that the LGA Chairman will be recalcitrant to respond to our demands, so we are also working already with Firsts Baba Isa Esq and his team, to ensure that we sue the Chairman and ask the Court to compel the Council to make all details of the Council’s income and expenditure available to the public who own the money. We are prepared to file as many cases as can give us a victory on this. We believe that the courts will oblige. The judges aren’t dumb. God forbid!

8. We will create an Open Governance website and publicly document how the Chairman and his cabinet spend our money every month. Everyone from Obudu or anywhere in the world can simply log on to the portal any time of the day and see clearly how our money is working for us.

9. We will give real time, accurate, factual and objective reports of Obudu local government developmental strides and interventions.

10. If our money is misappropriated, embezzled or siphoned, we will drag the Obudu LGA Chairman to EFCC and ICPC. Remember the Chairman will not have immunity.

11. If the Chairman does well and develops Obudu, we will sing his or her praises to high heavens and roll the drums on the streets.

In my opinion, I think this is fair to the next Chairman of Obudu LGA. This will assist him or her to stay on track and concentrate on giving us value for money.

I hope you still want to run?

Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo, and does not represent TheLumineNews, its agent or the organization the author works for.

 

Dear Chair, you are not yet in office. I do not know who you will be. But whoever it turns out to be, I am writing you this letter because, I am still assuming, albeit confidently that with the Supreme Court judgment on LG allocation, which has ordered that FAAC allocation should be paid directly into LGA accounts, you will be getting an average of N200million monthly, as Obudu LGA Chairman. It could be much higher some months.

I am taking this queue from what the Council got from federal allocation from January to December 2023. It amounted to N3.2billion only. That information is from BudGIT and the Budget office. Using the same template, you will receive nearly N10billion in a three year tenure, and that doesn’t include Internally Generated Revenue IGR. You will agree with me that this money is massive. The excuse for non performance was that, most of the money is captured by the State Governor and doesn’t get to the Council. Now that the governor may not be able to siphon the money again, there shouldn’t be any excuse for failure.

Let us assume Mr. Chairman that, you spend half of your monthly N200m on your overhead and other pressing political exigencies, including the money you will ‘steal’, because you will, what will you do with the remaining N100million x 12 months x three years? How will you use it for the development of our LGA? Give us an idea! Break it down to the ordinary man because the LGA is for the ordinary man.

Do you know the total number of schools and children enrolment and out of school children in Obudu? Do you appreciate the relevance of modern learning tools and technology in early education? Will primary education in Obudu under your leadership be free or paid for by pupils? Do you know the number of health centers in Obudu and their current state? Do you know anything about infant and maternal mortality and the trailing figures in Obudu? How many kilometers of roads does Obudu have? Which ones are in Trunk C? Which of them are more strategic to rapid development? Do you have this information? Does it ever cross your mind that these questions are pertinent?

I am asking because we will track the money from Abuja down home. That is for your information. The reason is because the money belongs to us. Not you. If indeed the money is paid directly into our LGA account, we will not allow you transfer it to the Governor under any guise unless for pending or arising obligations. If for any reason, the Governor finds a means to withhold the allocation, even through the House of Assembly, we will rise together and fight with you until we get our money. I will personally join you in that fight.

But what will you use the money for? We need to know. That is very critical. Say it in very clear terms. Write it down for us in black and white, let us copy it as your assessment card and marking scheme. In other words, we need to see your detailed work program.

Also remember Mr. Chairman, the fourth schedule of the Nigerian Constitution, clearly spells out the functions of the Local Government Areas LGAs.

1. Construction and maintenance of roads, gardens, street lights, drains, public highways, parks and public conveniences.

2. Registration of deaths, marriages and births.

3. Establishment and maintenance of slaughterhouses, markets and motor parks.

4. Naming of roads, streets, and numbering of houses.

5. Establishment and maintenance of cemeteries and burial grounds and homes for the destitute and infirm.

6. Provision and maintenance of health services.

7. Development of natural and agricultural resources, except for the exploitation of mineral resources.

8. Provision of primary, adult and vocational education.

9. Licensing of bicycles, trucks (other than mechanically propelled trucks), canoes, wheelbarrows and carts.

10. Provision and maintenance of public transportation and refuse disposal systems.

11. Assessment of privately owned houses or tenements for the purpose of levying such rates as may be prescribed by the House of Assembly of the State.

12. Control and regulation of outdoor advertising, movement and keeping of pets of all descriptions, shops and kiosks, restaurants and other places for sale of food to the public, and laundries.

With the exception of number 1, number 6, and number 8, which are government services, all the other nine functions of the LGAs listed supra, are revenue earners. Very heavy revenue earners. Look at the list again.

How do you intend to leverage on those nine revenue earners to internally generate revenue for the upgrade of health and educational facilities in the LGA, without putting too much burden of taxation on the people? People will willingly pay taxes for development, but not for the upkeep of politicians.

Tell us your reach and exposure. What strings will you be able to pull to attract external resources into the LGA within your tenure? Where are those places you can see opportunities outside the LGA?

Apart from the recent surge in gang violence and the perennial communal clashes with the Tivs, Obudu is generally a peaceful place that draws people with its hospitable ambience. With the right balance and intentional strategies, proper harnessing of those revenue heads can yield as much as another 100million monthly, if not more.

So dear Chair, kindly do the good people of Obudu and break these questions down in a simple document that we can understand and run with. That will help us to properly assess you and determine whether you deserve our vote or not.

Thank you and God bless you.

Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo, and does not represent TheLumineNews, its agent or the organization the author works for.

 

I am a bit excited at the ongoing effort to ensure LG funds get to elected Chairmen.

Many persons have been talking to me from my LGA, Obudu in Cross River State, about their intention to run for Chairman in the planned election.

On average, Obudu LGA gets an average of N200million monthly allocation on paper, before the capture of the money by the Governor. If for any good reason this money or even half of it, begins to end up with the elected Chairmen, I please want to say some things to those who want to run Obudu.

If you don’t have anything in your brain about development of local communities, please bury the thought of running for the office. Look for another job or an appointment in Calabar. This is not about certificates obtained from UNICAL, it is about the existentialist challenges facing our people. It is about competence and exposure. Not distribution of palliatives and spreading gangsterism.

Please you will not use zoning and acclaimed number of years spent in your party to seek emotional and undeserved favor; if you don’t have track record and competence.

All of you hopping about and shouting how you have been loyal for years; loyal to what? That’s not a criteria for development.

Your dubious god-fathers may get you the ticket and the office but you won’t have peace of mind in that office if you don’t have capacity. We will breathe down the throat of anyone who is going next into that office. The person must show evidence of performance. Enough of going in there and leaving without doing anything.

Almost all the people aspiring for that office are my contemporaries. We are within the same age bracket. I do not have any interest but I have maximum interest in making sure that none of my contemporaries will enter that office and take Obudu people for granted again. Never again!

So consider your options before running. Run away, if you don’t have a clear and practical program. Because me like this, I will drag you morning, afternoon, evening and night. I will drag you in the media, in the courts, physically, and spiritually. Enough of this suffering and looting. So help us God!

Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo, and does not represent TheLumineNews, its agent or the organization the author works for.