Chukwuemeke: Ukwuani Council Has ‘Nothing To Show’ Despite Receiving Up To N500 Million Monthly

Councillor representing Ward 19 in Ezeonu Kingdom, Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, Victor Chukwuemeke, has questioned the use of funds accruing to the council, alleging that despite receiving up to N500 million monthly, there is little visible infrastructure to justify the revenue.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, Chukwuemeke said the local government receives substantial allocations every month but residents have seen little evidence of corresponding development projects.

According to him, “Today, at one point the local government gets between 450 to 500 million Naira on a monthly basis.”

He argued that the council’s financial inflows should be sufficient to fund meaningful infrastructure projects across the local government area.

“The situation of infrastructure in the local government has worsened,” he said.

“You can’t point out in my constituency that this is one infrastructure.”

Chukwuemeke further disclosed that the council’s monthly wage bill stands at approximately N155 million, leaving what he suggested should be significant resources available for capital projects.

“Monthly wage bill is the total amount using salaries on monthly basis, about 155 million,” he said.

“So if you are getting 450, 500 million, then you have more than enough for infrastructural development.”

He added: “There’s nothing to show.”

The councillor linked his concerns to his ongoing demand for greater transparency in the management of council finances, insisting that residents deserve access to detailed records of income and expenditure.

“The people want to see the figures of what they got and how they’ve been expended,” he said.

“That is what the people want to see.”

Chukwuemeke maintained that his push for accountability stems from the oversight responsibilities of elected councillors and the need to ensure public funds are used for the benefit of residents.

“The funds that are coming in must be judiciously put into use while we in the legislative arm, we are there to serve as watchdog to the executive,” he said.

Asked whether there were any projects undertaken by the council, Chukwuemeke acknowledged that some developments had been initiated but questioned whether they reflected the scale of resources available to the local government.

“I’m aware that of all the amount that has gotten to the local government so far, few town halls were built.”

“I’m aware that it’s also building a chapel, a church within the council.”

“It’s also building an event centre, also within the local government.”

Nevertheless, he insisted that the overall state of development in Ukwuani does not reflect the level of revenue available to the council, arguing that residents should be able to identify more tangible projects funded by public resources.

Faridah Abdulkadiri