The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno has said that he has not touched any funds meant for local governments since he assumed office.
Eno disclosed this while reacting to the Supreme Court verdict granting financial autonomy to local governments in the country.
He stated that the judgement would not impact his administration in anyway as he has not interfered with funds allocated to the 31 local governments in his state.
Eno who made the remarks while fielding questions with Government House Press Corps at Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, upon his return to the state from an official engagement, described the supreme court judgement as a welcome development and relief to state governments.
He, however expressed concerns over the effective implementation of financial Autonomy by the leaders at the third tier of government.
He wondered how the local governments under the new arrangement would handle responsibilities such as the prompt payment of salaries and other emoluments of workers under their employ.
His words: “The Supreme Court has made pronouncements. That’s the final court of the land, but for us in Akwa Ibom, honestly I don’t see us having any issues. For me, this is a welcome development because I know how much we, as a state support the local governments.
“It is a relief to state governments. Since I assumed office, I’ve not touched any funds allocated to the local governments. The only challenge I envisage now, which we have to sit down and find a way around is how the local government workers would be paid promptly?
“How will primary school teachers be paid promptly? How do we clear the backlog that we have? I pray that we find a way around this.”