Refutal: I Was Not Attacked, I Didn’t Embezzle Any Fund, Says Asekutu, Warri North LG Chair, As ALGON Chair, Ebonka, Describes Allegations As Lies

.......Egbema youths frown at threat of impeachment

By Victor Lewis

Contrary to a malicious report published in The Niger Delta Today online platform of November 20, which claimed that the Warri North Local Government Council chairman, Hon. Smart Asekutu was beaten up by some councillors over alleged financial recklessness, the Local Government Council Chairman has refuted the report that nothing of sort took place.

Speaking with our correspondent on phone on the matter, the Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Smart Yomi Asekutu, described the report as spurious and malicious, saying that he was never attacked not beaten up by any person or group of persons in his private residence in Sapele.

He also debunked the allegations contained in that report that he embezzled the Council funds meant for projects.

The report, as published in Niger Delta Today of 20th November which quoted some unnamed sources, alleged that 15 members of the Legislative Arm of the Council.(Councillors) stormed the chairman’s private house in Sapele and beat him up, over allegations of diversion of the Council fund.

Specifically, the said Councillors were said to have accused the Chairman of diverting the sum of N25 million meant for the purchase of waste disposal truck and another N140 million SURE-P fund from the Federal Government.

But reacting to the allegations, Hon. Asekutu condemned the report that he was beaten up by 15 Councillors. According to him, some of the Councillors came to his private residence on Sunday morning to demand for the payment of an ongoing Constituency projects funds which the State government approved through ALGON, to each Councillors of the 25 Local Government Councils in the State.

He explained that the fund, as approved by the State government, was N2 million for each Councillor to execute some public projects such as public toilets, water boreholes, equipping of town halls with chairs and tables, among others.

Asekutu stated that, while waiting for the release of the fund from the State, he decided to commence implementation from the Council funds, since the money was budgeted for already.

He said, he started giving out the fund piecemeal, adding that each month, the Council gave to two Councillors, adding that as at October, 10 Councillors have gotten their fund, remaining 10 to receive theirs.

The Council Chairman further explained that he even went out of his way to add N1 million to the N2 million approved, making it N3 million per Councillor, to enable them do standard jobs.

According to him, when the money was eventually released by the State government, those who have received their share of N3 million were now demanding another N2 million while the remaining ten Councillors who were yet to receive were now demanding for N5 million each.

The chairman said the leadership of the Legislative Arm and some principal officers visited him on Friday over the issue and he explained to them the money that the money that was released recently was partly to settle the ten remaining Councillors and to fill back the fund he pulled out of the Council treasury from where he settled the first ten Councillors.

The leadership of the legislative arm and other principal officers, according to the chairman, were satisfied and they left, adding that he was surprised that on Sunday morning, another set of Councillors came to his house while he was preparing to go to church, giving ultimatum to him that if he fails to pay them N5 million by Monday, they will commence impeachment proceeding against him.

He said he told them that if they are not satisfied with his explanation and that given to them by their leaders and they want to go ahead with their plan, they can go, and according to him, they left.

Asekutu noted that there was no physical fistcuff neither was he touched nor beaten as mischievoussly reported in the online platform.

“The Crux of the matter was that it was resolved that some Constituency projects were approved to given to the Councillors to do and this was approved by the State and through ALGON, it was communicated to us. The amount involved was N2 million.

“At the time of the approval, the money was not released yet. And knowing that the money will eventually come and the Constituency projects was in the budget, I decided to take it bit by bit. And every month, I approve and release funds for two Councillors, from the Council treasury pending when the State government will release the fund.

“Every month, we approve the fund for two Councillors and we release to them from our Council treasury. And I told them that I’m doing this ahead of the release of the money from the state government and that when the money comes, we will replace the money we took from the Council and use it to do other developmental projects. And they agreed.

“Now, from the Council fund, we added another N1 million, making the amount to be N3 million and they also amended their bills to carry all of that. By the grace of God, we have covered 10 Councillors. And now when the money came from the State government, they are now demanding I should give it to them. But I said no. I have already given them N3 million to ten Councillors and I will give to the remaining ten. I cannot add another two million to all the 20 Councillors to make it N5 million each. This is the bone of contention.

“On Friday, the leader of the house and some principal officers came to me and I explained all these things to them and they said, ok, they would go and talk to their colleagues. But it was like their colleagues were not satisfied with their report and they came to me on Sunday morning when I was preparing to go to church.

“I told them that I have spoken to their leader but if he has not brief you enough, give me time to go to church and when I come back, we can meet. After some careless talks, they left. And when they came back, I told them I don’t know how I would give them additional N2 million after I had given them N3 million for the same assignment. I said it was not possible. One Kanu now stood up to say that they gave me up to the close of work today and if I fail to give them their cheques for N2 million each, they would commence the process of impeachment against me and send it to the State House of Assembly.

“And I said ok, since you have decided on what to do, you can go ahead. And I left them. Nobody touched me. They too left only to go and gave a malicious report that they beat me up. I don’t know what they want to achieve with that”, he said.

On the allegation of diversion of N141 million for SURE-P Projects, the chairman said: “This is where their ignorance and inexperience can take them to. The money, N141 million actually, came to each of the Local Government Councils. And this money which has just come, is tied to specific projects. And when they came to me, they also requested I should share to them from the SURE-P money.

“I’m not a signatory to the Council account. There is no way I can even access the money without the authority of the Council. So, there was nothing like I have embezzled Council money”, he said.

While reacting to the allegation of diverting the sum of N25 million meant for the purchase of a waste disposal truck, Asekutu explained that there was a State government instruction for riverine local government councils to use the money to clear water hycinth from waterways and clear blocked drains. He stated that Warri North, Warri South West, Burutu and Bomadi were exempted from buying a waste disposal truck.

On the allegation that I’m not always in the office, it is yet another lies, saying “If I’m not always in the office, from where do they discuss with me? You know this is political period. I cannot be in the creeks walking round and at the same time be in the office. It is not possible. I’m always in the office every week.

“So, disregard those report that they beat me up. It’s all greed and envy”, he said.

Responding to our correspondent’s enquiry from the State chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, Barr. Victor Ebonka, on all the matters as affecting all the Local Government Council in the State, he described the attitude of the Councillors as uncouth, adding that all the allegations against the Local Government chairman as lies from the pit of hell. According to him, ALGON as a body is not taking it lightly.

Ebonka corroborated the chairman’s explanation that he commenced gradual disbursement of the Constituency projects to his Councillors before the money was released from that State, confirming also that the Council chairman used his discretion to increase the amount from N2 million per Councillor to N3 million.

The ALGON boss also debunked the allegation of diversion of the SURE-P Projects fund, adding that it was not possible for the chairman to have diverted the N141 million that just came in a few days ago.

He explained that the money was tied to various projects which the Council had already outlined, pointing out that the allegation of diversion of the fund was yet another lies by the Councillors.

He said: “I’m the chairman of ALGON in Delta State, that is, the chairman of all chairmen. All the allegations against the chairman (Hon. Asekutu) is all lies. I would call it lies from the pit of hell. And ALGON as a body is not taking it lightly. I know that the Councillors presently have started apologizing because there is no iota of truth.

“There was this resolve by all the Council chairmen to give out Constituency projects to all Councillors in all our Local Government Areas. It was the resolve of ALGON to give the Constituency projects to all Councillors, no matter how small it is in spite of the paucity of funds so that their impact can be felt in their various wards.

“Only recently, our accounts were inundated with the cash for that purpose. No other Council area has released funds for these projects yet. Only yesterday we met to define the necessary projects and disburse the funds to the various Councillors for their various wards.

“But this Council Chairman (Hon. Asekutu) went ahead even before any other Council has released funds, to release funds to some of the Councillors. He had succeeded in releasing fund to at least 10 Councillors. Rather than releasing only N2 million, out of magnanimity, he already released N3 million each to about 10 of them with the understanding that when the money expected eventually comes, he will release to the remaining ten and recoup the fund he had earlier expended for the first ten and use bit for other developmental projects.

“But out of greed, some of the Councillors insisted that the chairman has to release an additional N2 million to all the ten Councillors. And he said no, his obligation is only to the remaining ten who have not received anything. That is the cause of the confusion. And they moved to his house in a very uncouth manners and started behaving like touts. They did not touch him, they did not beat him up. After that, they went to influence that publication. That is just it.”

On allegation of diversion of N141 million SURE-P fund, the ALGON Chairman said: ‘It is a lie. How fast could it be for him to confiscate the money that came into the coffers few days ago? SURE-P programme is people-oriented projects and he has already initiated several projects he is going to spend the money for. So, the allegations are from the pit of hell.”

Also reacting, a top official in the Directorate of Local Government Affairs, who did not want his name in print, said that the allegation of the diversion of the sum of N25 million for the purchase of a sewage disposal truck for Warri North Council Area, was unfounded, adding that the directive from the State government was for the Council Areas that are basically riverine to use the money to clear water hycinth from the waterways and open up blocked drains.

According to him, the directive to purchase sewage trucks was for “Local Government Council Areas that are upland, not the riverine Council Areas because there are no roads to use those trucks to work there”.

Meanwhile, a group of Egbema youths has warned those threatening to commence the process of impeachment of the Council chairman to desist from it to avoid the disturbance of peace in the area.

According to the group, this is the first time since the creation of the State in 1991 when an Ijaw man became a chairman of the Council, adding that there has never been any time any group has initiated the process of impeaching a Council Chairman, .