Abia warns LG mayors against diverting public funds

The Abia State Government has urged mayors of the 17 local government areas and other senior officials to strengthen financial and administrative controls to prevent the diversion and mismanagement of public resources.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, gave the charge on Thursday during the opening of a two-day anti-corruption sensitisation programme organised in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in Umuahia.

Nwachukwu called for discipline, transparency and a focus on measurable results in the conduct of government business, saying the principles must guide operations across the 17 local government areas.

“The success of any government programme is not determined by the amount of money released. It is determined by what is achieved with that money.

“A project that exists only on paper is not development. An expenditure without proper accountability is not good governance. And an approval that disregards established procedures cannot be justified simply because the intention was good,” he said.

He said executive mayors and senior local government officials must take responsibility for financial discipline and administrative integrity by ensuring proper record-keeping, transparent procurement processes, effective supervision and timely financial reporting.

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Nwachukwu assured the ICPC of the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with the commission in promoting integrity and institutional accountability. He also urged participants to take the programme seriously.

In her goodwill message, the ICPC representative, Chinwe Egbeocha, said the state’s participation in the programme demonstrated its readiness to fight corruption.

She warned that it would no longer be business as usual and urged participants to pay attention and ask questions about corruption.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Oge Maduka, said corruption did not necessarily begin with large sums of money or major scandals.

She explained that it could start with seemingly minor acts, such as bending rules, ignoring established procedures or deliberately overlooking wrongdoing in public offices.