By Mark Lenu
A retired civil servant in Rivers State, Chief Ikechukwu Ojoba has described those seeking to stop the federal government from releasing allocation to the state LGs as enemies of the state.
The state conducted its local government election on October 5 amid a court order barring the security agencies from participating in the election. Ojoba said when LG functions without funding, it means the local government areas will be underdeveloped and the people will suffer.
“It simply means that those who don’t want the LGs to be funded, equally want the people to suffer and only enemies of the state would do such. “I don’t think any reasonable judge will pass a judgment that will withhold the funds meant for the local governments.
“I urge Rivers politicians to always put the interest of the masses first and stop playing politics with the lives and wellbeing of their people,” he said. The reaction of the retired civil servant followed the recent move by some politicians in the state to stop the FG from releasing allocation to the state LGs through the court.
The Martin Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly had dragged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before a federal high court, sitting in Abuja, praying for withholding of fund allocated to the Rivers State Local Governments.
But the state government objected to the hearing of the suit in Abuja which was turned down by the federal high court, prompting the state government to approach the Court of Appeal to intervene in the matter.
The state government filed an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1197/2024 and filed a motion seeking the Federal High Court to stay proceedings until its appeal is determined.
However, after taking arguments from the counsel to the state government, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed the request to stop proceedings on the ground that it was unmeritorious and mischievous.
The court insisted on going ahead with the hearing of the suit.
