The Honorable Commissioner for Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Gabriel Onyendilefu, has decried the spate of outsourcing projects to contractors, by the local Councils and other Government Agencies and parastatals in the state, when there is qualified manpower to execute those projects within the commission.
According to Commissioner, who was in the company of the Honorable Commissioner for Special duties and other Government functionaries, Government will save more money if professionals, employed by the Councils or other Agencies of Government, are engaged to directly handle projects instead of always contracting the projects out, except for projects that are above the capacity of the employed professionals.
Honorable Commissioner For Local Govt. & Chieftaincy Affairs made this statement, today when he also led other members of the Joint Project Committee of Abia State, which included, the Honorable Commissioner For Special Duties, to inspect some completed and ongoing projects in Umuahia South Local Government Area.
The projects inspected, bothered around Infrastructural development, Agriculture, Capacity Development and Education, were acknowledged to be of standard. There were also some minor and major maintenance works done within and around the Council.
In their remark, the duo of, Chief Onyendilefu and Dr Okoro, acknowledged the prudent deployment of the resources allocated to the Council, however, they encouraged the current TC Chairman to complete all ongoing projects, in line with the Governors directives, before embarking on new project.
Chief Onyendilefu and Dr Okoro were unanimous that the essence of the projects verification/ inspection tour is not to witch hunt anybody but to instill the consciousness of probity and accountability on public officers . They emphasied that the executive Governor of Abia State has constituted the Joint Project Committee to ensure that every resources availed the Local Government Councils are judiciously spent.
The Joint Committee has in its team staff of the Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs and that of the Special Projects as well as the SSA to the Governor on Strategic Development Communications and men of the Press.
