RAYMOND OZOJI reports
The Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Youth Development and Sports and lawmaker representing Nnewi-North state constituency Hon. Augustine Onyekachukwu Ike, has stated in unequivocal terms that he has not received any petition from anywhere regarding alleged illegal revenue collections in markets by the chairman of the local government Hon. Echezona Anazodo.
It would be recalled that recently the leadership of Agboedo market in Nnewi had accused the chairman of multiple illegal and unjustifiable collections from traders in the market. This was the news that rent the air last week even though the council chairman has also debunked the negative narratives describing them as the handiworks of opposition elements in the area.
The lawmaker who spoke exclusively to this journalist in his office at the state assembly complex Awka, said he has not found the Mayor wanting in any way and to the best of his knowledge, the Mayor is performing exceedingly well giving the peculiar nature of the industrial city.
The lawmaker explained that Anambra State Laws are very clear on revenue collections and there exist what he mentioned as the Consolidated Revenue of Anambra State. He said what it implies is that all revenues collected in the state go directly to state's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
He said the laws equally stipulated that no revenue shall be collected manually and that all revenue collections in the state shall be automated or no payments are made. That all payments must be made through variable means for issuance of receipts and for purposes of accountability.
He therefore emphasized that Nnewi is not a government in isolation and that any revenue collected in Nnewi would be collected in other local governments.
Although the lawmaker pointed out that the state government should take responsibility of what happens in the markets because the law has delegated revenue collections to it and that markets should be controlled by the state, except for local markets, which he said, falls within the jurisdiction of the local governments.
The lawmaker maintained that as at the time of the interview with the journalist on Tuesday, he has not received any official complaint or petition from any market in Nnewi-North Local Government Area alleging that the council chairman is collecting illegal revenues from traders in the markets.
Hon. Ike who stated that rather than fall out with the local government authority over revenues in markets within its control, it would be best for the leadership of the markets to dialogue with the chairman inorder to have a collaborative agreement on the wayforward instead of peddling false narratives and accusations.
On the allegation of the local government chairman working against the reelection of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo; the lawmaker said that the chairman has no reason to do so because he can not work against APGA and Soludo who is the candidate of the party for the November 8th governorship election in the state, describing it as a baseless allegation.
He said that the traders who protested over alleged obnoxious collections in the markets, didn't know the implications of their actions which was why he advised them to go back to the local government chairman and engage him in a peaceful dialogue inorder to address their concerns amicably.
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