The Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has inaugurated a nine-member Committee for the State-Local Government Joint Account.
The governor also revealed that the state was owing over N14 billion in arrears for gratuities and pensions which his administration had started paying.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, said the inauguration was done shortly after the State Executive Council Meeting at the Government House, Awka.
The committee is chaired by the state Commissioner for Local Government, TonyCollins Nwabunwanne, with state Commissioner for Finance, Ifeatu Onejeme; and Dr Arinze Nwankwo-Ikwueto, as Vice Chairman and Secretary respectively.
“Resources are not there, you are being called upon to do this work at a time when there are challenges in the finances of the country, the state and local government and you have been called upon to find the solution,” he said.
Soludo said his administration would set up a local government administration that would address the challenges in that layer of government.
He pointed out that the infrastructure in the various local government areas, including those burnt down by arsonists, needed to be repaired to enable council staff to go to offices and perform optimally.
“For us, we have the vision to have responsibility devolved to the base and to have a local government that is empowered to deliver development to the grassroots.
“Consequently, the finances that are very limited will have to be run differently; we have a peculiar local government system where the staff and other obligations of the local government are pulled together,” he said.