N200M CONSTITUENCY FUNDS FOR UGHELLI SOUTH LG: MATTERS ARISING, MR PhD
-Zik Gbemre.
Dear Honourable Executive Chairman, Ughelli South LG, 'Mr PhD',
You have just released N200Million to Councilors for Constituency Projects and the talking points will always be laughable.
√ SELF GLORIFICATION OVERRIDES SUBSTANCE
As always, your Media Team hypes a routine governance responsibility to glorify you, like the money released is charity from your private vault.
'So e dey sweet you as bellringers dey clap for you?'
As if you just broke a national record in LG administration when in other localities, constituency projects are already being completed or near completion and delivered.
√ 'NA TODAY DAY BREAK'
You're releasing funds for 2025 Constituency Projects to Councilors in October. Are you sincere about the common good or just sharing Xmas package to the Councilors?
√ CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS WITHOUT BUDGET
You said, "Each councillor is expected to identify pressing needs within their constituencies and embark on projects that will have direct and sustainable impact on the people"
Mr PhD seriously? You mean you don't even have any idea of what projects the money to each Councilor is tied to before releasing to them? Am not surprised of course.
Earlier in the year, as your counterparts in other areas were publishing and holding PUBLIC HEARING with stakeholders to deliberate and have a budget based on diligent needs assessment from the grassroots, nobody heard Ughelli South LG do budget. Only you and your praise singer Councilors know if you had a 2025 budget.
N200M to 11 wards means an average N18.18M per Councilor. Of course we know say dem no dey share equal. The Rt Hon Leader and Principal Officers gets lion share before the follow follow Councilors go share.
But Mr PhD is that how it's done? Do the LG wards not already have approved projects allocated in the 2025 ghost budget? Councilors should go and do whatever they like? How do their constituents know if they are accountable? How do the people monitor their Councilors?
Actually you expect the Councilors to do as you do. You initiate and execute projects on impulse, without tangible budget and in clear violation of the Public Procurement Act.
Go see the example your Ethiope West LG Counterpart is showing. While you awarded your 'cut & nail' facelift and painting of Council Secretariat to political contractors without due process with impunity, your counterpart in Oghara copiously publishes call for tender on eligible contractors for pre-qualification for competitive bidding for every key project.
'The publication is done on national dailies oo,' not on the social media walls of your Facebook influencers. That is due process which you have never followed, for once since assuming office.
It's the height of negligence for an LG Chairman to release Constituency Projects funds without allocated projects already signed in the budget and expect Councilors to collect money before determining projects that suits their private pockets.
Moreso, in strict implementation of Constituency projects, moneys are not paid to Legislator. They're not even charged with picking even contractors. The execution is a function of the Executive. Here, you've paid money into Councilors hands. 'Na wa for you.'
√ NO TIMELINE
With an average N18.1M per Councilor, you say you expect them to do miracles -renovate schools, health centers, markets, do empowerment, etc.
'Wait oo, Mr PhD, how many schools, health centers, markets you, as overall boss, don renovate? How many pipo you don empower, for how much?'
Even to do desk & chairs for school you take almost a year to respond to emergencies. The other day a philanthropist who went to an Ewu Primary to give free study aids to pupils was so touched by the sight of pupils sitting on bare floors without chairs.
The humanitarian was so touched he videoed and shared the appealing sight of your negligence. You got angry and started threatening headmasters (HMs) of primary schools not to allow concerned individuals see the piteous conditions of public basic schools in your LGA.
This was same Ewu primary school where a building collapsed and killed a pupil earlier in the year 2025. You haven't done any intervention apart from levelling the collapse building. Now you rather stop philanthropists from donating books and sundry learning aides to Ughelli South public schools from their own pocket just because you don't want anybody to picture or video the poor state of the schools you neglect.
So where is the timeline for execution of the N200M Councilors' projects so that the man on the street can tell when same projects would be flowed into 2026 to collect that year's funds.
'Mr Chairman, I taya for your govament oo. Your PhD no dey show at all. This no look like Ughelli South wey former Chairman Ughelli South LG, Dennis Djoma dey build schools, health centers and other projects left, right, center.'
'Your excuse say Ughelli South get plenty IVIE wey you dey pay. Say other Councils get only one king. So na the kings dey collect your allocation. Abeg how many millions you dey pay king? Tell me. And na every LG dey collect the kind allocation you dey get?'
'Akpor!!!'
'Ughelli South oo rioja ri PhD shemane'
Zik Gbemre
october 25, 2025.
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